Conclusion
Young Tricia was on the right track, although as she said in her own words, she didn't know how to go about telling it to her parents. And where they should have been right there to help her open up, or at the very least, have some insight into what she was trying to say, they chose to stick their heads in the sand instead.
It was easy to see why the young girl felt that she was forced to take some drastic measures in order to get her attention. And she also had something to say by way of protest about the morals of their affluent society.
Family counseling was advised for this family, and the suggestion was accepted by the parents.
After two sessions of the parents putting on airs, and passing the blame around, they finally got down to some honest communication.