Our kids just LOVE to make us think the world will end if they go to a PROGRAM. Wonder whywe believe them, wonder why the "fear" works so well?*****
What IF, what you are identifying as "fear" is not really fear at all, but a subconscious knowing that a program is not in your child's best interest, sparked by your child's words? Which is in conflict with your desperate need to believe you have done the right thing? Or could your "fear" be caused by the absolute uncertainty that constantly plagues you because you really DON"T KNOW what is being said or done to your child while they are in the hands of strangers, and you HOPE it is congruent with what they have told you and the image you have concocted in your mind? You really need to feel you had no other option, that the negative reports are lies, that your kid is manipulating you...in order to satiate your guilt.
I would like to make some kind of comment about reality coming around and biting you on the ass, but the truth is, some people die as ignorant as they arrived. You might well be one.
I couldn't help notice your choice of words and that it seems most program parents can't use I statements and speak only for themselves.
"Our kids" just love to..... "Wonder why we".....
Why not, "My kid just loved to make me think that the world would end if s/he went to a program. I don't know why I believed her/him."
Less guilt when you commiserate with other like parents? Take responsibility for yourself and your experience. It's not appropriate to project your shit onto others by speaking generally for all parents, and/or suggest that what they are feeling about negative reports is unfounded "fear". You sound like a PR person for the program. A cheerleader. Here to strengthen the brainwashing in case someone is starting to come to their senses. And definitely not the sort of parent I would seek advice from OR collaborate with about what is in my child's best interest.
It's obvious that program parents live in fear :scared: of everything, hence the drive to warehouse their teen, and consequently blame their fear on the teen. Who's fear :scared: is it, really? If you had NO FEAR you would not react to your child or negative reports about your warehouse of choice... and further you wouldn't be pounding out a generic defensive message as the one you posted. Who are you trying to sway, or were you trying to strike up a conversation with another parent who has the same illogical thinking dominated and influenced by their fear :scared: ?