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My teenage son knocked on our bedroom door last night after we'd all gone to bed. He was crying and told us his cousin had just texted him the news, and then he
by bentoncreation 4y ago
My teenage son knocked on our bedroom door last night after we'd all gone to bed. He was crying and told us his cousin had just texted him the news, and then he watched the video. We watched it again together. I cried and hugged him and we talked about it a little bit.
My kids were so isolated during covid lockdown, we were getting really worried for their mental state. They weren't seeing other kids their age, they felt like they had no friends, and there was one point when it seemed like they even stopped missing other people altogether.
But my son, especially, was deep into Minecraft Youtube at the time, and I could tell that this cast of creators was really important to him. It often felt like he was on a call with his fun and hilarious buddies, just on mute.
I think Technoblade, and other creators like him, helped get my son through the past couple years. I'm so grateful to him for that.
- e40 4y agoParasocial relationships can have an extremely strong effect on people. My son was similarly effected by the suicide of a youtuber a few years ago. My son was 18 at the time, just out of HS and struggling. This person is someone he had followed for years and was public about his struggles and was doing better, then this happened. The unintended side effects of the world we have built are many, and some are impacting our children in ways we couldn't have forseen.
- menmob 4y agoEtika? Still miss him myself.
- HaZeust 4y agoThe video is still well-engraved in my head. Sad day.
- tapoxi 4y agoI had regularly listened to a podcast for years when the host (Ryan Davis of Giant Bomb) tragically passed suddenly. It was bizarre, like I had lost a friend I had never met.
- LocalH 4y agoI'm 42 and there are more than a few people in the Guitar Hero community for whom I would be extremely sad to learn of their passing, including several of the more prominent creators and community pillars.
- d2049 4y agoSlightly off-topic question out of curiosity and without malice - is it normal for teenagers to talk to their parents about emotional issues and cry in front of them? It's been suggested to me this is a typical thing and it sounds great, but I never did this after getting to middle school age.
- gigglesupstairs 4y agoGrief. Does that to you. There is a sense of loss and grief in the OP’s teenage son and hence he cried. Sounds pretty human and normal no matter the age.
- jcpst 4y agoProbably depends. Even in my own family, the amount of emotional openness between the kids varies.
- bonestamp2 4y agoI think the other comment made good points about grief being a powerful feeling that may overcome norms. From my personal experience, it also depends on the relationship between the parents and the kids. I'm much closer to my kids emotionally than my parents were with me and my kids tell me things I never would have told my parents. I think I turned out ok, but I hope they turn out even better having an adult mind to help guide them through their emotions, challenges, mistakes, victories, etc.
- branon 4y agoYeah, I did it a handful of times through high school when I was having trouble working things out. Not since then, though I'm sure the time will come again, at least once before I (they) die.
- dokem 4y agoI think it's abnormal and the kids are likely underdeveloped due to lock down isolation. Waking your parents up crying when you're a teenager because a youtuber died? Get that kid on a sports team, fast.
- 4y ago
- viper00 4y agoLove your son, the world happens and loses a lot of things every day, we have to look forward from now.