My daughter is a high school English teacher. The son of the assistant coach at her school was found last week, hanging by his belt from his bunkbed. His mother went to his room to awaken him for school and there he was. The child was twelve years old.

I can't imagine how horrible such a thing could be, but apparently, there is evidence that he was probably trying out some kind of choking game. My daughter attended the funeral and said she never, ever wanted to attend the funeral of a child again.

This is the link she sent to me...how many of you are aware of this:

http://www.thedbfoundation.com/

I first heard about this sadomasochist behavior in the young about a year ago and am not surprised it still is prevalent. After all NBC's Special Victims Unit just had a show about it on TV last week. Except it was about perverse sexual adult behavior. Monkey see monkey do.

TuT .

I don't think it's ever too late to apprise kids of these kinds of things if they're living under the parents' roof. It might help the kids to make a more informed decision if they DO know their parents are aware...and CONCERNED enough to talk to them about it.

I remember a little fad that went through my school back in the mid-80s...kids holding their breath until they got dizzy. Three students in third grade were doing it unobtrusively during lunch one day. One of them passed out, falling backwards onto the concrete cafeteria floor. He had to be taken to the ER at a final cost to his parents of about $1,000.

The principal suspended the kids for a day. The boy who fell on his head? He overdosed on drugs a couple of years ago and died.