Messages By: steph_42

Dear Sarah, 

Thank you so much for sharing your story on the Dr. Phil show. I was shocked by the whole "game". Totally in the dark about all this. When I picked my middle school daughter up from school I had tears because I had just watched the Dr. Phil show, so I told her why I was upset. To my total shock again.. she knew about the holding the breath game (where they breath extremely heavy several times then hold their breath and bend to the ground and jump up fast causing them to land on pillows prepared in front of them).  She said she actually witnessed it before. I was in awe. I asked her why the girl(s) did it. She said because they get totally out of it and you can ask them a question (eg. who are you in love with? or have a crush on?) and they will answer and not remember anything after.  Wow! Was I in the dark. So, Sarah, thank you for enlightening me on the whole thing, this brought me to talk to my daugher, now I am going to our church to talk to our fellow religious education teachers and am also hoping to get the school to inform parents about these terrible life threatening teen games. Again, thank you Sarah!!!!!!!! May God comfort you and bless you and your son every day of you lives! In Christian love, Robin 

I hate to admit it but this is nothing new.  We were doing this when I was in junior high, over 40 years ago.  Only thing different was we didn't choke each other.  Here's what we did.  With one girl standing behind me, I bent over forward, placing hands on knees and took 3 huge breaths in and out.  On the 3rd extremely deep breath, I hold in the air and stand up.  The girl behind me locks her arms around my ribs and then squeezes my chest as tightly as she can and just holds on.  My head begins to tingle, then my lips, my hands and then after about 2-3 minutes I being to go black.  Shortly after that, she lets me drop onto the bed.  I'm now in a twilight state.  Eyes are closed and the tingling is very extreme.  I move my tongue around in my mouth and get the tingling all around my mouth.  I am out for about 30 seconds or so, I guess, who knows.  I want to open my eyes but I can't yet. I don't have control over my body yet.  I can hear the girls laughing about how red my face it, and saying I don't look like I'm breathing, and they laugh some more, I look so silly.  Finally the rush is over and I open my eyes.  We all sit around on the bed and I share the experience with my friends and then its the next girl's turn.  Wasn't that fun?? 

Where were my parents?  At work, and being an only child, we usually come to my house cuz I don't have any siblings to tattle on us so its safe to be there.   

So if you think your sweet little Linda wouldn't do that, think again.  If you think your straight A student, James has no time for such nonesense, I'd check my thinking if I were you.  This is peer pressure and besides even though they've heard the 'scare tactic' stories, we know that could NEVER happen to us.  After all, we know how to do it the right way, we're smarter than that. 

I dropped my 3 year old yes THREE year old off at pre-school today and I overheard one of the other mothers telling her son (3 years old) that she was going out of town and so and so would be picking him up from school and then she told him when she would be home. 

That was fine and dandy what came next is what shocked me... she asked him where his cell phone was... I thought at first she must be talking about a toy, even my daughter has a little princess PLAY cell phone. however when he said he left it at home she raised her voice a little and asked why he left it at home and why it wasn't in his bag.... I thought this is not right., or I am not hearing right... then she asked if he had plugged it into his charger. MY MOUTH DROPPED> 

a three year old with a REAL cell phone... FOR WHAT!!
I understand she is going out of town but why would a three year old need a cell phone. 

I think this is why our kids are hooked on these items. We GIVE them to them at such young ages. 

I have a 14 year old who asks all the time for a cell phone. My answer is NO. there is no where she will ever be where she would need a cell phone to get a hold of me at. She is where I take her and if not she is in trouble. She is allowed computer time but I have time limits for her to use the cojmputer. She doesn't have free reign of these items.  Everything in moderation and it is up to the parents to moderate the privledges. These should be a priveledge not something they just get because they are kids. 

IMO 

Tammy 

Hi as a fellow EMT former one that is due to back injury (thats besides the point)i can relate to the calls yes and the blanant disregard for their own lives but i really wouldn't say all 13 yr olds or 14 yr olds should know better.why would they?They don't stop to study the effects of these foolish and dangerous games.They see they do thats it all in fun in their eyes till something goes wrong and then they should be able to see for themselves the dangers but its like oh that won't happen to me .I am a parent and i really hope that my daughter who is 15 can take something away from Gabriels story we as parents need to make these kids more aware.Look at my posting below we had three young adults do the exact same thing and look at their ages!We need to get this word out and i did send a recommendation in for this show and probably alot of parents along with Sarah Gabriels's mom before these new boards came up i posted on the old boards and saw the website for Sarah' story  www.lovingmygabriel.com. I was morified when i read this more womans story from a parents aspect not the EMT side.