Before My 15-Year-Old Died, I Never Said The S-Word. What A Grave Mistake That Was

The author and Parker on a father-daughter date in 2016

Early in the morning of Nov. 10, 2017, I got the phone call every parent dreads and none of us are ever prepared for.On that November morning, my oldest daughter, 15-year old Parker Lily, lost the battle with her mental health that wethought she’d been winning. Since that call, my family and I have been trying to rebuild our lives.

For years, I carried around the same tacit misconception many people do about suicide: if someone seems depressed...