Love is why parents show up. But love alone does not teach you how to recognize when your child is struggling. Chris Coulter writes from eleven years of hindsight about the gap between loving deeply and seeing clearly, and why awareness is a skill every parent can learn.

Worried your teenager is struggling with mental health? Learn the warning signs, the 5Rs framework, and practical ways to support your teen before a crisis escalates.

After my 14-year-old daughter Maddie died by suicide, I created a talk called "Wake Up: You Could Lose Your Teen to Suicide." Four parents signed up. The school cancelled. Most parents believe "that would never happen in our family." But 40% of teens experience significant mental health changes during adolescence—and many won't tell their parents. The warning signs were there. I just didn't know what I was looking at.