it's not always a cry for attention ...they go to great lengths to hide the cuts..

LLL14,

As a parent I would first tell her how proud of her I was that she stopped and hope she was comfortable enough to speak with me about the cutting, if not, I would suggest that she speak with a trusted friend's parent or a school counselor.

Cutting doesn't mean the person is a "bad person", it just means he or she has some pretty heavy stuff going on inside..and talking with someone is a pretty great way to start getting it out in a healthy way.

Even the strongest of us need a soft place to land some of the time.

God Bless and hang in there.

HoosierGirl

I'm with you hiker.I took the school's advice and tried to force my 7yr old into therapy and it was a disaster.

I don't think anyone would ever say a cutter is a bad person..more like a sad person

Hikerchick:

I sure hope they wouldn't, they would be wrong if they did!

HG

so i talked to my friend, maggie, and she said she's thinking about telling her mom...
but she also told me that part of the reason she did it was curiosity, and that shes scared the scars wont go away
what do i tell her?

they do fade over time. I thought my daughter would always bear the brand of a cutter but now you can barely tell..if you look directly at the scars in sunlight, maybe, but for the most part they have faded.

thanks again guys, i know this is kinda a wary topic

went through it for years with my daughter...who by the way, is fine now, and heading for college