In regards to this mother sharing her son's story, until we remove the stigma and allow other's to share in the issues we deal with, folks won't be able to "look out" for these kids like a real community. It always comes out after something like this - "Oh, he was a strange one",
"I knew something like this was going to happen", "I was always concerned about him". But you know, no one every steps in and reports or acts. It's easy to point a finger after the fact, but harder to put yourself out there if you are concerned.
We need to be more aware of the young people around us and what they, and their families, struggle with. None of us should be ashamed of the issues our children deal with. If someone were to blame me for my son's actions years ago, I couldn't have given a, well you know. It was more important that others knew of the struggle so I could get help. I never felt embarrassed about sharing my son's issues.
Sharon