Why Are Struggling Parents Such An Easy Mark?

[Anonymous]

Really, it's like they have a sticker on their forehead saying I AM A SUCKER.  The ed cons and program referral agencies must be laughing their asses off at how easy it is to SELL these parents a program guaranteed to fix their teen, HEAL THEIR FAMILY, give them back the child they once knew, etc. etc. etc.

 :wink:

[Anonymous]

Maybe...
But there are still a lot of struggling parents who have tried eveything local school counsellors, independent psychologists and psychiatrists, neighbors, grandparents and barber/hairdresser recommends before shelling out the cash.  They are not laughing.  And they don't deal with insane promises or laughing referrers either.  Oh sure, lots of sleazy folks are around, but they are in most categories.  That doesn't make it right.  But all referrers aren't as you'd have it.

Give the parents a better, effective way to turn around a life clearly headed down -- and I don't mean a kid who argues with his/her parents if thats the only problem.

[BuzzKill]

//there are still a lot of struggling parents who have tried eveything local school counsellors, independent psychologists and psychiatrists, neighbors, grandparents and barber/hairdresser recommends before shelling out the cash. They are not laughing.//

No - they aren't laughing - they are crying - all the time.
And This is why they are such an easy mark.

Parents of wayward, aggressively rebellious teens, are really between a rock and a hard place.

They are expected to control/ discipline/ "parent" the kid. They are held responsible and accountable for the illegal actions of their teens.
They are required by faith, family, society and law to keep the teen educated,safe, and reasonably secure.

None of this is possible in the family with a teen determined to do their own thing - when their own thing is dangerous and destructive.

Added to al this is their own personal anxiety over the teen's risky behavior.

Yes - these parents are sitting ducks.
Desperate and at their whit's end.
Often not thinking clearly, simply due to the long term stress involved - and make no mistake - there is a lot of stress involved. Stress is well known to make people stupid. It can greatly decrees a person's ability to reason and think clearly - making them ripe for exploitation.

These referral agencies and programs make very fruitful use of all these factors.

They increase the parental anxiety by playing heavily on the risk of death or prison.

They have dozens or hundreds of Happy Program Families to refer the desperate and anxious parent to.

And of corse - when the parent contact a program or referral agency, it is b/c they are already considering the option - they want to be sold - b/c they are desperate for an answer.

This too, is what makes it so hard to realize one has been taken in by a farce and a fraud - b/c if thats the case - then what?

And like any victim of any grifter - they find it embarrassing to have been so stupid - and this keeps them from being able to see the truth as well.

These are natural, built in inhibitions to "seeing the light" - but with some programs, you have other additional and powerful factors - the Large Group Awareness Training, behavior modifying, seminars.

The parents are sitting ducks for manipulative, unscrupulous, greedy bastards.

And then too - you do have them that just want the kid out of the way. They are a different matter - but I still say they are the minority.

*[ This Message was edited by: BuzzKill on 2005-09-25 07:14 ]

[Anonymous]

I too believe that the parents who just want thier child out of the way are in the minority. It's hard enough to admit to ignorance, stupidity and manipulation without being accused of just not caring about your child. Some of us discovered the truth quickly and have worked diligently to expose the abuse of the facility.

[Anonymous]

If you are talking abaout WWASPS programs, the "truth" has been out there since David Van Blarigan made TIME magazine in 1998, followed by (not necessarily in this order):

Intrepid Net Reporters

FORBES

Struggling Teens  

Bridge To Understanding

Rocky Mountain News "Desperate Measures" Series

CBS 48 Hours

DATELINE NBC

P.U.R.E.

So what's your excuse parents?  

Were you so "desperate" you just didn't want to believe the negative reports?  Or ... was it that you didn't believe troubled teens had any credibility?  In other words, you bought the program propaganda BEFORE you even sent your kid away?

Come on, it's not like there were not conflicting reports of "satisfaction".  

TRUTH or CONSEQUENCES.  Isn't that what you are so determined to teach your "defiant" teens?

[Anonymous]

Not every parent sent their child to a WWASP program. Others are out there too, that represent themselves as "boarding schools."

[Anonymous]

And, we were referred to this abusive "boarding school" Whitmore Academy by Sue Scheff at PURE. and she did warn us about the big-bad-abusive-WWASPIE schools.

[Deprogrammed]

On 2005-09-24 18:24:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Maybe...

But there are still a lot of struggling parents who have tried eveything local school counsellors, independent psychologists and psychiatrists, neighbors, grandparents and barber/hairdresser recommends before shelling out the cash.  They are not laughing.  And they don't deal with insane promises or laughing referrers either.  Oh sure, lots of sleazy folks are around, but they are in most categories.  That doesn't make it right.  But all referrers aren't as you'd have it.



Give the parents a better, effective way to turn around a life clearly headed down -- and I don't mean a kid who argues with his/her parents if thats the only problem."

,Meaning that I just think that parents need to start realizing that we have only one shot at this thing called parenting. So, I feel that parents need to take a more active role in every aspect of a childs life from birth until at least 18 yrs. of age.....free parenting classes are usually available thru local agencies and communities. This is a multifaceted problem which needs multifaceted solutions!

warmest regards,
-DP

Is uniformity [of opinion] attainable? Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites.
http://lfb.com/?stocknumber=FF7485&code=10247' target='_new'>Thomas Jefferson

[Anonymous]

Parents turn to these programs often as a last resort, typically after they have tried everything they can think of to get BACK IN CONTROL of a teen's attitude and behavior ... and failed.

I disagree with those who say it's the minority of parents who use these programs as a dumping ground.  Look at the enrollment numbers.  The demographics.  The average annual income.  These programs are full of WHITE kids from middle-to-upper class suburban homes.  Parents who CAN AFFORD the best schools and therapists, not some one-of-a-kind B.M. Warehouse in a third world country or on some ranchland out in the middle of nowhere.

DP is right about one thing ... parenting doesn't stop when the kids are old enough to stay home alone.

 :idea:

[Anonymous]

On 2005-09-25 17:52:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Not every parent sent their child to a WWASP program. Others are out there too, that represent themselves as "boarding schools.""

Very True!  In fact, the negative publicity about WWASPS was a real gold mine for the ed cons and parent referral agencies.

Guess the bottom line is parents have to do due-dilegence.  Really check out the programs they are referred to.  Find out if that program pays for referrals, what type of kids they accept (adjudicated vs. non), talk to STUDENTS who didn't like the program and LISTEN to the reasons why instead of dismissing them as MANIPULATED or their parents as DISGRUNTLED.

Most of all, don't be fooled by fancy brochures or the HIGH COST.  A program is only as good as the people running it.  That is the carnal rule.

[Anonymous]

My parents were duped. BUT, once they saw for themselves-- attending seminars, receiving letters, parent mettings, etc -- they should have put it together. They chose NOT to believe me, and fell into the program mantra. Hard to trust your parents once they threaten lawsuits against you to keep you locked up past your 18th birthday if you don't comply.

[BuzzKill]

Well, maybe you shouldn't trust them - not b/c they are "bad" people - but b/c they are at that point, indoctrinated cult members. Because they Trust the Program, you should not Trust them. They are no longer thinking for themselves, and are actually afraid to question the program. Thats how it seemed to me anyway.

As for due-diligence - it was not such an easy task a few years back. Yes, these sites mentioned back on page one existed - but googling didn't bring them up. Web searches only brought up a plethora of program sites. I now understand this is a red flag - but at the time I simply thought it an indication this was a premium program! I know that is ignorant - its embarrassing now - but that's the truth - and I doubt I am alone in this perception.

I had never seen the any of the media stories - and when my Mom asked me if it was the same place she saw a TV report on, I asked Teen Help, and was told No- they had no affiliation. This was a lie - but I didn't have enough information to realize it.

I took the info sent me by Teen Help to many varied professionals - Drug rehab counselors; school counselors, family doctors, child psychologist, a social worker I know, and family members.  All thought it sounded like a viable option under the circumstances.

The point being - its not as easy to ferret out the truth as it seems. Sure, it seems like an easy task when you Know about all this information - but if you do not - if you don't know how to find it - it is not so easy.

There has, in recent years, been a great improvement in the results of googling. I google around now and then, just to see what pops up - and the results are encouraging. But this was not always the case.

[Anonymous]

How many parents actually visited these foreign based programs BEFORE sending their child?

How many parents HIRED an escort service to haul their kid away?

How many parents read their enrollment contracts that authorized the use of chemical restraint (pepper spray) and even handcuffs on their children and signed them anyway?

Come now, a lot of these kids could have been spared the nightmare of being enrolled in these hellcamps IF their parents did not equate TOUGHLOVB with salvation.

It's a shame really.  Parents ripped off, kids abused, meanwhile the ed cons, program owners, parent referral services could care less.  Why should they?  It's not THEIR FAULT the parent picked the wrong program.  

Look at the disclaimers on their websites.  

PARENT BEWARE.

You will be the only one held accountable.

[BuzzKill]

//How many parents actually visited these foreign based programs BEFORE sending their child?//

I don't know - but a lot did - and they tend to like what they see.
Even those who thought they were touring a boarding school thought that's what they saw.
My guess is, Its all in how its presented and which population of students they are allowed to see.

//How many parents HIRED an escort service to haul their kid away?//

Lots do. No doubt about it.

//How many parents read their enrollment contracts that authorized the use of chemical restraint (pepper spray) and even handcuffs on their children and signed them anyway?//

I never saw anything like that - but I know for those who do - they think (as I did when hearing about possible restraint) that it would only be for extreme cases of violent behavior - not an every day occurrence.

//Come now, a lot of these kids could have been spared the nightmare of being enrolled in these hellcamps IF their parents did not equate TOUGHLOVB with salvation.//

Sure - and that's the point of Ginger's Rampant talking theory - spread the message it don't work.

//It's a shame really. Parents ripped off, kids abused, meanwhile the ed cons, program owners, parent referral services could care less. Why should they? It's not THEIR FAULT the parent picked the wrong program.//

Its their fault when they practice fraud in selling the program to the parents.

//Look at the disclaimers on their websites.//

I never saw a disclaimer on the web sites. Do they have them now? What do they say?

//PARENT BEWARE.//

Good advice

//You will be the only one held accountable. //

Accountable to who?

[Anonymous]

Bullshit!  Very few parents visit these offshore programs before they ship their kids off to one of them.  

Accountable to who, Buzzkill asks?

Well, for starters, how about your children?

The ones who suffered the consequences of being institutionalized in a money-making program, left to fend for themselves with no hope of getting out until their parents ran out of money or they turned 18 and decided it was better to live on the streets than stay locked up in some hellcamp for God knows how long.

 :scared: