QUOTE: Don't buy it! If the kid is good, honest, trustworthy and law abiding it would not be an embarassment. That child is a pride and joy! Kids go to programs because they choose not to follow the rules at home, school, or community. I know several families that have had to send their kids to programs. None of them sent their kid because the family was too busy for them.
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Bullshit!! Kids are not always sent to programs because they are "bad", not "trustworthy", you name it. Some are good kids earning a 4.0 GPA, doing the right things, with parents who don't want to deal with them, whatever their reasons.
Ever thought about parents who abuse their kids and want a way to keep them quiet? Well, they just found it. And if you don't think it happens, then think again!!! Many kids sent to programs are victims of bad parenting and bad parents. Not all the time, but definitely sometimes, and something that should not be dismissed. Sadly, it happens all too often.
Then there are kids who misbehave and who lose their parents' trust. OK, didn't we all while we grew up? Didn't we do things that really drove out parents nuts? I can remember some neighbor boys who were abnoxious and who got into trouble, but they grew out of it and turned into normal adults. Most kids don't need programs to grow out of puberty. They just do, somehow. By the grace of God, I'm sure.
The point is that there are a wide range of kids out there, as there always have been. Our society is not family-oriented right now, hence more problems with kids and teens. So many families are broken, so many parents divorced, so many blended families, so many kids forgotten in the mix. So many parents working hard to make ends meet and finding their own way in life when their lives fall apart during divorce. How could they put all their focus on their kids? It's hard. I've not been through it personally but I've watched it plenty. It's a horrible process for the parents, it's a worse process for the kids - the victims of divorce.
I'm not bashing parents, I'm a parent. I think that our world has become more complex and difficult. It's easy to label a kid with a problem, it seems to be in right now. There are many labels, we know them all. Sometimes I think people forget that kids are just kids, plain and simple. Take away a lot of the junk food, feed them a wholesome healthy diet devoid of food coloring and tons of sweets, have family dinners every night, read to your kids and with your kids, be sure to have homework time, a quiet time in the house when you are available to help your child. All of this helps, even if you are a single parent. I know it's hard, I've seen it plenty. It's worth the extra effort. I'm not saying many parents don't make the effort, they do. I'm saying there are many factors that should be considered when putting a child under a microscope and labeling them with this disorder or that disorder. Look at the history of the child, not just their physical disorder. Find out where the underlying problems are and see if there is a way to solve those problems before they get out of hand.
Kids are usually pretty resiliant and pretty understanding. It's when their world is falling apart, when the fundamental core of their world falls apart, when parents are busy and don't let the child feel they are center in their parent's world, when a child feels unwanted, unloved, uncared for. That's when things fall apart. Top that with unhealthy eating, horrible television viewing, violent video games, and it starts to make sense.
This was not intended to point a finger at anyone but just a reminder of what might be happening to a child when they get off track. Maybe some love, stability, and understanding would help.
I realize there is the other side of all this, kids who are completely out of control and who do need some sort of intervention. I still don't think programs thousands of miles away, with kids abducted in the middle of the night, is the answer. Look for something close to home, some programs are set up so the child is there during the day and comes home at night. Parents and other family members, too, attend therapy to help heal the family unit, instead of making it seem it is all the child's fault. It is programs like these we should promote and seek out. Parents participate and children are home, not hundreds or thousands of miles away.
