These parents are simply abusive monsters. Their response to their daughter writing a novel is not encouragement but annoyance at her 'not working'? Their response to their daughter supposedly lying in such an absurd way is not concern for her mental state, but *sigh* poor us contemptful displeasure?
These people are disgusting. I hope Katie finds fornits before her monster parents destroy her completely. I'm sure some poster here would even lend her a room to get her out of that destructive environment. Her parents don't deserve children. Monsters
Its clear you do not understand what is going on. You dont know Katie but her parents do. If you had ever parented a child you would know that consistency, rules and structure are all very important. Katie is going to be in the program for some time, another day without the book isn’t a big deal. She left for the day and is trying to manipulate people and test the rules to see what she can get away with and she is going to find out that she cant do that there or in the real world when she gets older. It is a good lesson for her.
Reading peoples responses to this blog helps to clear up why many here view programs and program parents so harshly. Interesting how you view the parents and programs as evil and view Katie as the victim when she is the one trying to pull the strings and being dishonest.
Not to be rude, but I think you are both wrong.... in most ways seeing this from two extreme angles.
I honestly don't think that what was translated in that call is the truth, what it sounds like to be is the program lingo, and the way that normal things in the program are manipulated (almost for the sake of creating drama) into being some form of disobedience or manipulation. Think of it this way, if this Katie girl were in class in a high school and she was writing a novel on her own time (and yes even if it was to avoid dealing with her home life) and trying to check out an extra, (or possibly different) book at the library, this kind of action would be praised at home. However the program, and mainly the case manager needs something to "bring up" and use some excuse to call this girl out on her behavior, even if its nothing even close to real disobedience.
However I don't think these parents are evil or monsters, however I am shocked that these things aren't red flags and that they are willing to put unquestioning faith into this program when their methods are so obviously unorthodox. Do they really see their teen as such a deviant?... whatever happened to the maternal instinct? shouldn't these parents reserve a question in their minds about how this is all playing out, if not to protect their child at least to keep a close eye on their investment? It seems to me the program is just feeding them this warped perception of their daughter, and since its drama that feeds into their fears they just buy it without any consideration. I just don't understand how two grown adults can be so easily convinced, especially when using common sense these things are unrealistic. I'll say it again, it just doesn't make sense.
To be honest this situation is all to familiar. Although I never got to speak with my mother on the phone, in the program it was my case manager who made it the hardest for me. She was trained to report on the way the program made things look and not the way they actually were. This woman spent all of an hour with us a day (as a group) yet she for some reason had the authority to talk to my mom every week and tell her how I was such a disobedient kid because I was still getting consequences. What that woman didn't even care to find out was that I have medical problems that caused me to unintentionally break those "rules" (that were actually not rules at all, just the way they controlled us). I can remember feeling so frustrated, (in fact thinking about it now I feel a knot in my throat), because no matter what I did or how hard I tried the program always found ways to make it impossible for me, and make me out to be some deviant that I never was. I don't know if that is entirely the case here, but knowing the way the system works at these places I would put my money on the fact that the case manager is over-dramatizing the situation in order to make it seem like shes doing her job. I think its more evidence of that fact that Katie felt strongly enough to dispute the matter, because if she was in the wrong she wouldn't risk punishment to "manipulate". She's probably crying out to her parents for help, but they are too blinded (successfully manipulated) by the case manager (and maybe the seminars?) to truly see how their daughter's life at the program really is.
