Middle School Confessions

This HBO documentary may prove useful to parents of middle school kids, as it explores the various traps and pitfalls that kids get into. It shows the details of different problem areas (sex, violence, depression, alcohol) and how parental meetings and professional help can turn problem kids around. It ends on a mostly positive note, fortunately.

On the sex issue it was clear that peer pressure forces young girls to become actively sexually, prematurely.

On the violence issue it showed how role-playing helped kids to avoid violent confrontations.

On the depression issue it showed a family with strong genetic predisposition and yet how shocked the parents were to discover their child was depressed and thinking of suicide. Fortunately, he received professional help and medication which successfully helped to turn things around.

On the alcohol issue the documentary showed how easy it is for kids to obtain alcohol and experiment with it. Families with a strong history of alcoholism are most vulnerable and sometimes strong measures are needed to prevent further addiction. Kids made it clear they will not rat on other kids.

so i watched this video last night and i really liked it but that isn't the point of this...the point of it is, well, i would like to get in touch with some of people in the video...is there anybody who knows how i can do that?? i can relate to some of the kids in the video and i really want to get in touch with them, like Jessie, the violent kid, well i'm not violent but i just want to like tell him that i sort of know what hes going through. and i wanted to tell him that the other kids that make fun of him don't know what they're missing. my friends are rednecks, and i used to be exactly like those kids that make fun of him. but then i got to know the rednecks at my school, and now we are all best friends. so if you know a way that i can get a hold of him, via mail, that would be great. and you can e-mail me at demonchild_70@hotmail.com thanks.

If this documentary doesn't scare parents of teenage children, it should! Our middle school kids face a lot of issues, including sexuality and sexual orientation, depression, drinking and drug use, and violence. This film touches on all of these issues, and emphasizes a key point: parental involvement and communications is necessary for our kids to grow up happy and healthy.