Teen suicides’ moms: ‘Tell your children you love them’

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   >> search for answers following the tragic suicides of two 8th graders in minnesota. we'll talk to their mothers in a moment. first "today" national correspondent amy robach has the latest on this. good morning.

   >> reporter: good morning. this tragic story gripped the rural area where the girls lived and went to middle school . the family of one of the victims said she complained she was bullied. there are still even more questions. fast friends , best friends , paige and hailey , both 14 years old, both found following a sleepover where they hanged themselves. for their families, indescribable heartbreak.

   >> she's gone. she's not coming back.

   >> reporter: paige 's mom said her daughter was being treated for depression, though paige never talked to her about being bullied.

   >> there is no do-over. kids need to know that. suicide is not the answer. it is not the answer.

   >> reporter: the girls became close when hailey moved to minnesota from indiana a year ago. they attended marshall middle school and hailey 's family said she had been expelled for defending paige in a fight. in an interview with meredith last week hailey 's cousin said the girls may have carried out a preplanned suicide pact .

   >> i have to believe myself that they thought this out, you know, pretty thoroughly. seems to me they were going out of their way to keep this to themselves.

   >> reporter: hailey complained to family members that she was rids ku ridiculed by students about her weight and red hair . she said, i'm so done with people here, they are so mean and two-faced to me it's not even funny. both girls left behind suicide notes telli ining their families they loved them but offering no clues.

   >> the toughest part is just understanding reality. realizingi ithat i can't go home and see her or say hi to her.

   >> reporter: relatives want to get the message out about suicide prevention and the consequences of bullying.

   >> there is texting, facebook and other mediums of communication. nobody's safe.

   >> reporter: we should note tragically suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens. matt?

   >> amy, thank you very much. amy robach reporting. the girls ' mothers are with us now exclusively. good morning. my condolences to you both.

   >> thank you.

   >> i know you want to be here to share the story as a cautionary tale for other parents and teens out there. i also know you must have both asked this question a thousand times over the last several days. that is, what did i miss? was there a sign? was there some indication that this could have been in the offing? how do you answer that question?

   >> no. i think we were doing everything in our power as mothers to help the girls . but i question it every day, ten times a day.

   >> tricia you have asked the question. was there a sign? did you notice something different in your daughter in the days leading up to this?

   >> i have played it over probably a million times. there is nothing that she even slightly did different. there was nothing.

   >> both of these girls talked about some form of bullying. was it bullying in the traditional sense of being picked on at school? was it cyber bullying ? how would you describe it?

   >> it was more of the facebook , texting and -- i mean, that's what i got from it.

   >> yeah, i think so, too. bullying in the traditional sense is different to me than what it is nowadays. kids are so mean and cruel to each other. the things they say to each other is horrible.

   >> when they came to you individually and said, look, people are saying awful things. as we heard on hailey 's facebook or saw on the facebook page "i'm over this." how did you talk about this with her? how did you try to get her through it?

   >> you know, i told her that she needs to be the bigger person and turn the other cheek and not let those people get to her. you know, i tried helping her through it as much as i could.

   >> with paige ?

   >> paige never came to me so much about bullying issues. it was just her regular issues she had with school. i just gave her the best advice i could. i tried to teach her to see past tomorrow.

   >> i was reading some of the notes this morning and both of your daughters had some issues with depression. i think both were being treated, counseled at least. i think haylee was on medication for depression.

   >> correct.

   >> were you experiencing mood swings you just attributed to depression?

   >> yeah, i think so. she had ups and downs . i think so.

   >> paige as well.

   >> was paige ?

   >> yep.

   >> this is the hardest part to talk about. i'm a parent of three and i know your daughters left behind notes.

   >> yeah.

   >> is it too personal to ask what you have learned from the notes that were left behind ? can you share any of the contents of the notes?

   >> haylee's was pretty short and sweet. you know, it was thank you for giving me an amazing life. i'm sorry for doing this to you. i love you.

   >> thank you for giving me -- she described her life as amazing.

   >> yeah.

   >> parents at home will say, how can young lady who thinks her life is amazing --

   >> as i thought. you know, you try to give your kids everything within your means that you can. you know, maybe it's never enough. i don't know. i hope that the school will implement a program to teach kids about this stuff. the harassment between girls at this age is horrible.

   >> it is.

   >> in paige 's note she wrote to you?

   >> she wanted us all to know she was very sorry and she never meant to hurt anybody. she wanted us to know she loved us and never to forget her.

   >> so for the parents of teenagers and younger children at home today who, like you, may not see any signs, what's the message? what's the lesson you would like to share?

   >> never, never let a day go by where you don't tell your children that you love them and give them a hug.

   >> yeah. that's the hardest part is seeing other kids their age.

   >> tracy and tricia, my sincere condolences. it's brave of you to share the story.

   >> we want to thank the community for the support they have shown us.

   >> it was unbelievable.

   >> amazing.

   >> thank you for sharing the stories. my condolences. l let's

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