13 Reasons Why Review By My Teenage Son + Resources for Parents

May 02 2017

My son wrote this when I had him home for Take Your Child To Work day. I asked him to write a review of a movie or TV series he had watched recently. This is what he wrote:

13 Reasons Why Review

Hello, my name is Nicky. I am 14 and Michele’s second son. I noticed the popularity of 13 Reasons Why and thought, “dang I’ve got to watch this show”. It was surprisingly very relatable to me as a teenager and some of the things I see going on in my school/school community. (Note from Mom: We talked about the show before, during and after he watched it.)

13 Tapes

13 Reasons Why is about a teenage girl by the name Hannah Baker who killed herself, and the night of her death she made 13 tapes. There are 13 episodes in the Netflix original series. Each episode is a different tape that is about a certain person who has had an impact on her life and the reasons she killed herself.

The first episode starts off with the narrator, also the main character Hannah Baker, speaking to you over a tape recording. As the scene pans into one of the many lead characters, Clay Jensen, you see right away the aftermath of the tragic incident.

13 Reasons Why From Teenage Perspective

I have never watched a show with such a powerful meaning behind it. “Be careful the things you say to one another, they could hurt a lot more than you think”. It’s something we really need to start to think about today.

I may be 14 but I know so many people who have experienced depression, or suicidal thoughts, and even attempted suicide. I may not relate to the drugs and alcohol usage, or the topics of rape as often as the show depicts school. I have seen plenty of people say these horrible things to one another or people doing horrible things they regret. It’s hard to block out the worst things in life sometimes.

But a minor theme in the story is that there is always someone who loves you and cares for you. (Note from Mom: This is why I let him watch it. I knew he would be able to see this through the other aspects of the story.)

Should Teens Watch 13 Reasons Why?

I would suggest 13 Reasons Why for teenagers, adults, or anyone who feels like they need a bit of inspiration. I do not think this show glorifies suicide, I think it takes some of the suggestive themes over the top to explain how badly these things can affect someone. I would give it 4 stars because it is very well produced and does indeed share an amazing message, but could also try to be more realistic with the amount of drug usage that is on the show. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this show!

Final Note From Mom

Each family needs to decide if this is a show you want your kids to watch. My 3 oldest have watched it. I’m holding back on letting my 12-year-old watch it. I may watch it with her.

My oldest daughter who read the book a few times said the show is quite different and she didn’t like the show. She preferred the book (another option for you child if you don’t want them to see the show.) Find 13 Reasons Why (affiliate link) on Amazon.

affiliate link

She said the show glorified suicide more than the book does and the book is told from a different character’s perspective. You may want to start with the book and work your way up to the TV show.

Resources for Parents for 13 Reasons Why

I wanted to leave a few resources for parents who are looking for help in discussing this show or subject with their kids.

Did you read the book or watch the show? What were your thoughts? Did your teens see the show?