Listen Before the Silence Becomes Eternal
We love to say it.
“When I was your age, I had a house and a car.”
We forget to mention the parts that made the math work back then.
- A house cost a fraction of what it does now.
- Wages had a different relationship to rent.
- Jobs came with stability, not just “flexibility.”
- People built lives with hope, not just hustle.
Leo didn’t need a lecture about grit.
He needed a father who understood that “I’m tired” didn’t mean “I need sleep.”
It meant, “I’m running out of reasons to stay.”
If your child seems stuck… if they’re struggling to launch… if they’re drowning quietly while still showing up on the surface…
Please.
Put down your judgment.
Throw away the “back in my day” speech.
Don’t tell them to man up.
Tell them you’re here.
Tell them their worth isn’t their paycheck.
Tell them you’d rather hear the messy truth than bury them with unanswered questions.
I would give everything I own—my house, my pension, my pride—just to see my son sleeping “lazily” on that couch one more time.
A “perfect” dead son is a trophy of nothing but regret.
I visit his grave every Sunday.
I tell him I’m sorry.
I tell him I finally understand the math.
But he can’t hear me.
So I’m saying it here, to anyone who still has time:
Listen to the silence before it becomes eternal.
When to Seek Help Right Now
If someone you love is showing signs of crisis, don’t wait for certainty. Act on concern.
- If they talk about wanting to die, being a burden, or having “no fight left.”
- If they suddenly give away possessions, write goodbye notes, or say unusual “final” goodbyes.
- If they withdraw completely, stop eating/sleeping normally, or become unusually calm after weeks of distress.
- If you believe they may harm themselves, call local emergency services immediately or take them to the nearest emergency department.
You don’t have to diagnose anything to take it seriously.
