Quote From: monkey63MY CHILD WOULD NEVER play such a STUPID GAME such as that "choking game"....RIGHT? Ummm, WRONG......
My mouth dropped while watching the show about Teen Trends last month. I was just shocked that something like that was actually occuring with kids......BUT, I comforted myself with the thought "Well, that is terrible but MY kids would NEVER do such a stupid thing"....HA HA HA! Here is what happened:
I had been waiting for the right moment to non-chalantly ask my 14 year old son if he had ever heard of such a game. I figured this was the best way to open dialogue with him without making his defenses come up. Then came the perfect opporunity. He and I were all alone for a while at home and he was sort of hanging around me in the kitchen. So, I tried to slide in a conversation that led to my subtle line of quesitoning.
At first he said he had never heard of anything called "Space Monkeys", but as I proceded to tell him it was a game that had to do with choking, he became quiter. So, I asked him if HE had ever known anyone that had done that, or heard kids talking about something similar. He said, "yeah, I've heard of something like that". While I was walking to the pantry to gather some ingredients for the meal I was making, I, once again, NONCHALANTLY said "have you ever done it"? HE said "no". I was relieved, but as I reached up to the shelf for flour, something deep inside me (call it my mom-instinct) told me he was lying. I didn't want to accuse him of lying.....I mean, I remember feeling confronted by MY parents growing up and the last thing a teen wants to do is have their parent trick them into confessing something, SO, I said "hmmmm, you know...for some weird reason I am thinking you may have participated somehow......honey, did you"? Well, that was all it took. He told me the story.....He had been at his father & stepmom's house last summer when his older stepsister "did it" to him and a friend. He said it wasn't a big deal but I explained what I had seen and heard on Dr. Phil's show, especially how a medical Doctor sure thought it was a BIG DEAL in regards to how much damage really occurs to the brain and body, not to mention the threat of death. He had no idea it could hurt a person. He told me he had been very stupid to let someone choke him and it opened up a great conversation from there regarding peer pressure and not succuming to it, etc. He is the kind of kid who is usually a little afraid of doing anything that could harm him or someone else, so I KNOW IF HE WOULD DO IT< NO KID IS IMMUNE TO TRYING THIS.
His stepdad and I are SO THANKFUL for Dr. Phil and Robin. I do believe their SHOW makes a difference.
To the people who shared their strories that day.....THANK YOU. My heart especially goes out to the single mom of twins, one of whom had died. She really seems HONEST, though, and I have high hopes she will work her way through her grief and into becoming the mother her other son so desperately needs.
Thanks again for the SHOW and I guess I NEED TO TAKE MY MOMMA'S ADVICE NEXT TIME by writing such words as "my kid would never" ON CHOCOLATE, because I JUST MAY HAVE TO EAT THOSE WORDS someday!
That was the whole reason Alyssa and I chose to do the show. Since being on the show I've had numerous parents come tell me how brave I was. I sure didn't feel brave but it feels good to know that some people learned something from it. We haven't had all good responses however. A few parents don't want their kids coming out to our house anymore. Yeah, like I'm going to leave the kids unsupervised ever again! These kids didn't just play this at "our" house, they did it at others'. One of the parents who won't let her daughter come here is in total denial. Her daughter is one that was really pressuring Alyssa to do it some more. She was totally into it. She even went so far as to say (after the show) she was going to keep doing it because she liked it. Alyssa and her friends told her she was crazy. After the show aired though she said she wasn't going to do it! YEA!!!
Alyssa has taken a lot of grief at school for being on the show. A few of the kids said "oh, there's the girl who plays the choking game"...jerks. She's not happy with how the show went because she thinks it made her look dumb. Don't all teens think adults make them look dumb? BUT she knows that it helped some kids so that part is okay with her.
Anyway...glad you and your son were able to talk about it. Who knows, maybe him talking to about it will spur him to talk to kids who do it and get them to stop.
Robin
(Original Airdate: 09/27/05) It's a game many kids call "Space Monkey," or "the choking game," but the consequences could be deadly. Robin witnessed her 14-year-old daughter and her friends giggling, choking and passing out. But what Robin saw was no laughing matter. Find out why her daughter enjoys the game, despite its dangerous repercussions. Then, Sarah's 13-year-old son made headlines when he died playing the choking game. How can she move past the guilt? Plus, Dr. Phil addresses a trend that looks innocent on the surface, but can affect teens in the worst way. Share your thoughts, join the discussion.
It is my hope that when this show airs, teachers, school administrators,doctors, medical examiners and coroners will start to take this seriously: I pray that teachers and school administrators especially, will start to warn and educate about this deadly game. It would be a small matter for them to include warning and educating about this thrill seeking 
