Pre-teens and teenagers are often fearless, extremely impressionable, and desperate to fit in, which is why they’re so easily influenced to play seemingly innocent games by their peers.
However, one South Caroline dad is now warning parents how dangerous some school games can be for kids who don’t fully understand the consequences of their actions after his 11-year-old son Garret Pope Jr. was found dead just a few weeks into the new school year.
“I know that there are a lot of rumors out there at to what happened, and my family would like to share some words of caution,” dad Garrett Pope wrote in a post to Facebook, which has since gone viral. “The Lancaster County Coroners office has determined that this was an accidental death caused by him playing something called ‘The Choking Game’. It is where kids cut off their airwaves just enough to get a sense of euphoria. I’m including a link here for more information.”
Pope has no idea where his son learned about this deadly game, which has been played by school kids for decades, but is fairly sure he must have learned about it from other students at his school. “Our tablets and computers show no online research that he might have done,” Pope explained.
Despite the incredible amount of pain and grief Pope and his family are going through, they are sharing their story to warn other parents to talk to their children and do everything possible to make sure they never make the same mistake their son did.
“Please know that his senseless death was not intentional. He took this terrible “game” too far. My family has never felt pain like this before, and we don’t anyone else to go through what we are going through. Please talk about this with your kids, and do everything you can to prevent a similar tragedy. He was so young and impressionable, he didn’t know what he was doing, and made a terrible mistake,” Pope wrote.
Have you ever heard of the ‘choking game’? Let us know in the comments below, and please SHARE this with friends and parents on Facebook to spread this devastated dad’s message.
[Featured image: Garrett Pope]
Dad Warns Parents After Son Dies From ‘Choking Game’ is an article from: LifeDaily