Nihilanthic,
Yes in the battle between parent and "out of control" child, the parent MUST win. This is not the everyday battle of what your child wears, or what show there watching on TV; this is a life and death battle. Webster's dictionary defines parent as: "A guardian; a protector." and the act of parenting as,? To act as a parent to; raise and nurture." Sending a child to a program is fulfilling this very principle, it's taking that child life and well being in to your own hands, yes that battle must be won. The role of a parent is to be somewhat like a supervisor, to raise and teach your child to go in the right direction, to make proper choices, and excel in all they do; it is not the role of a parent to merely be a friend, or to helplessly watch their child head down a road of destruction.
As for why I post anonymously on this board rather than post my name is two-fold. First of all due to the character of many who post on this board I do not feel it would be in the best interest of myself or my family to do so for safety concerns. I would not put in past many of you to show up at my door to cause some type of harm, because the internal anger that many of you experience is clearly revealed through your posts and language. The second reason is that I plan on sometime in the near future either opening or becoming involved with residential treatment centers for troubled teens. I truly believe that they are an invaluable tool in the lives of struggling teens, and that they do MUCH more good than harm. Upon completion of my degree I plan on pursuing a career in this field, and would never want those on this board to create fallacies about myself and my program as they consistently do on the board.
-Proudgrad!
