When I read about the soon-airing Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” in mid-March, I literally marked my color-coded calendar for March 31. I had a boulder-size hunch my teenagers would watch it and most certainly hear about it, so I wanted to be proactive vs. reactive and see All. The. Reasons. on a first-hand, fast-track basis.

Whether or not you’ve seen the tapes, you’ve met the cast of characters at some point in your life: an accomplished athlete with an inflated ego, a rich kid with preppy good looks and zero parental supervision, a newcomer to the high school, an annoying kid behind a camera lens who takes too many pictures and at all the wrong times, an artsy student who is deeply introspective, a neglected teenager with a self-centered parent, a handsome do-the-right-thing boy-next-door type who’s collectively confident and nerdy and endearing, the cheerleader – there’s always a cheerleader, a crowd pleaser, a yes sir young man with a contradicting appearance, a fake and manipulative do-gooder who’s diverting attention to mask a very big secret, and a roster of other high schoolers with the issues you’d expect for people their age.

Despite their obvious and extensive differences, the students at Liberty High School have two things in common: (i) where they go to school, and (ii) cell phone ownership. It’s precisely those two commonalities that lead to the brutal demise of Hannah. Hannah Baker. One innocent photo on a cell phone led to unwarranted slut shaming (more on that term later), and it was truly all downhill from there.

Yesterday, I found myself smack dab in the middle of a conversation about “13 Reasons Why.” There were two, and only two, very opposite opinions: everyone else’s and mine. For the blogging record, I was the only one who’d watched all 13 episodes, and I’ve actually watched the series twice. I binge watched it the first time to stay ahead of the kid curve, and I also watched the compelling 29-minute documentary, “13 Reasons Why: Beyond the Reasons,” in which co-producer Selena Gomez and others behind the camera, along with cast members, talk candidly about the who, what, where, when, how and why issues you ask yourself over the 13-tape journey.

If you’ve watched the series, you’ll agree the suicide scene was haunting and horrific and heartbreaking; it was anything but glamorized, heroic or a romantic act. In fact, it made me physically ill. I still haven’t completely shaken off the sights and sounds of “that” scene and probably never will. I hope not because that will mean Hannah wasn’t alone and isn’t forgotten.

The plethora of hot topics showcased in “13 Reasons Why” is too life changing for me to jump on the bandwagon to ban the series. I didn’t get much of a chance to tell my side yesterday, so thanks for letting me air my more than 13 reasons why I’m not a series hater.

1. Like it or not, Pandora’s box has been opened. It’s now time to deal with it because you simply cannot wish it away, pray it away or ignore it away.
2. “13 Reasons Why” illustrates authentic teenage experiences in 2017 like nothing else has.
3. The series tackles difficult topics that are an unwelcome wake-up call for many, and yet it gives us a very present reason to talk about these topics with our kids and others.
4. Teenagers don’t live in a world that shelters them from the daunting issues very accurately portrayed in this series: bullying, embarrassment, broken friendships, differences in appearance, parental indifference, slut shaming (a teen term I didn’t make up, so learn the lingo and don’t shoot the messenger), unsupervised parties, underage drinking, weed, rape, secrets and lies. In the case of Hannah, Hannah Baker, she also received R.E.A.L.L.Y. crappy advice from her high school counselor as she stood at the life or death fork in her rocky road.
5. Our kids will always make split-second decisions, just as we do in adulthood. Talking through things today gives them – and us – a better chance to make smart choices tomorrow.
6. Tomorrow is only one day away.
7. The recent demands to copy and paste or share if you care posts on social media do little to nothing to enact change. This series just might.
8. I’m using “13 Reasons Why” as an(other) opportunity, not a roadblock, to (continue to) discuss tough topics with my teens.
9. My kids have actually engaged me in conversation about the series multiple times, both in person and by text. I’m not patting myself on the back just yet, but it is gratifying to know our open-door and let’s talk policy didn’t fall on deaf ears.
10. I’m more committed than ever to putting myself in my kids’ shoes every single day to make me more aware, present and available to listen, discuss and guide.
11. What Romeo and Juliet did to position suicide as a romantic act, which incidentally and ironically is read and performed in high schools across America, “13 Reasons Why” combats with a candid, difficult look at ghastly dark and far-reaching blood-stained consequences.
12. You can’t change what happened to Hannah in this story, but hopefully the series will lead to better outcomes for other “Hannah” males and females facing similar struggles.
13. In the words of Dr. Phil, “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.”
14. The two paragraphs below.

There’s exponentially much more to the 13 tapes beyond the tragic self-inflicted death of a high school student, and there’s also significant take-away value that warrants our collective attention. Rather than missing it with our eyes wide shut, let’s take Clay’s cue in tape 13. If you’ve seen it, then you, too, are riding down the highway in a red Mustang with Tony, Clay and socially withdrawn we-won’t-let-her-be-next Skye.

I never want to find myself looking down from 30,000 feet with no understanding of the real world in which my teenagers live or turning a blind eye in favor of total blindness. Oh, and season 2 is in the works, so there are now more than 13 reasons to face real issues head on sooner vs. later.