The Next Big Thing

Behavioral trends are like fashion. At least in my line or work, anyway. And much like in fashion, it all starts with an individual.

Who has influence? What are they doing differently than me?
And what kind of attention is it getting them?

A couple months ago, the kid everyone in my house looked up to had a serious issue with cutting.
His motto? When in doubt, cut. Sad? Cut. Happy? Cut. Bored? Cut.

You get the picture.

So, all of our boys became cutters. I mean, it was all very surface cutting, with no real physical or psychological implications. But regardless, its an unhealthy practice.

Well, cutting . . . that's so 2010. What's hot this season is self-strangulation. Yep. A few weeks ago some kid on campus decided to remove the laces from his shoes, make a noose, and hang himself. Fortunately the kid wasn't successful, thanks to his staff's intervention, but the commotion cause by the incident has started a craze.

Just last week one of my kids was being unsafe and had to be escorted to a protective safety room. While in the room, he attempted to strangle himself with his shoelaces. After taking them from him, he then tried using his shirt, then the drawstring from his pants, and then his socks. By the time it was all done, he was sitting in the protective safely room, which is basically outdoors and unheated, just in his boxers on a 40*F night.

And today it happened again with another kid. The trend has been set. Great.
I wonder what the next big thing will be...