Another perspective about Brat Camp (and the teen help industry, in general) written by an adult who was sent to a rehab program as a teenager. While it's sad Kirsten still harbors great resentment toward her parents, the reality is many children struggle for years to get over the same sense of "betrayal" she describes here:
Send Abusive Parents to "Brat Camps"
By Kirsten Anderberg (
www.kirstenanderberg.com)
Excerpt:
"There is a new TV show on ABC called "Brat Camp" (
http://abc.go.com/primetime/bratcamp). I have watched the first two episodes with intense interest, as my parents severely abused me, then tried to have me locked up for my righteous anger at their abuse as a kid, too. When I watch these kids being tortured for their parents' crimes, on national TV, I am seeing my youth flash before me as a 44 year old mother and adult. Yes, I, too, was broken and forced into submission at times, like they are trying to do with "Brat Camp." But let me tell you, my resentment over the "Brat Camps" my parents placed me in, made me only hate them so much more as I grew up. I can guarantee you these kids being abused on the show "Brat Camp" will be in therapy as adults over this event. They will also harbor permanent resentment and distrust of their parents, and others, forevermore, and rightly so.
I find it interesting how these kids on "Brat Camp" are being labeled. The "angry punk" named Isaiah seems like a totally right on kid to me. He was the first to offer to carry extra weight in his pack when the skinniest boy could not carry his own pack weight, for example. The girl named Lexie reminds me of me, as does another one of the kids named Lauren. These are obviously very smart kids and these are obviously abused kids. Their parents are hysterical over really stupid things like the way they dress, and their alternative lifestyles. So their parents are skating free as the "good" people on this show, and the rebellious kids are labeled the problems. But my assessment, is that the minute these kids get out of "Brat Camp," they need to get as far away from their parents as is possible, as their parents are dangerous abusers. I also think every one of these kids should immediately *sue* ABC, as well as their parents, for kidnapping, human rights violations and child abuse. Ah, but minors have barely any rights against their abusive parents. And who is going to believe a kid who smoked marijuana and dresses like a punk, compared to middle class whining parents? It is like trying to go up against cops in court. As a teen, you have zero human rights. And ABC is proving that.
Things that have happened in this TV show are definitely things I experienced as a teen. After my parents abused me endlessly, I was always the one thrown into institutions and punishment venues, never them. No one ever gave one damn WHY I was so angry, they just cared that I was CONTROLLED. As soon as I submitted and feigned broken teen spirit for them, they would let me out of these places. I learned to lie for freedom. I learned to feign suffering to appease their sick needs."
Read complete story here:
http://users.resist.ca/~kirstena/pagebratcamp.html
Barbe
TAUSA
