This is Michael C Carter. Diane found this (I had read some of fornits years ago, and decided that I wasn't truly interested in it and all the bashing and flaming going on. I've spent the last two hours reading this thread, wrote down some random thoughts:
Wow! I only got to page two of this, and I felt I had to respond a bit here.
First, there were NO jumpsuits. NONE. When they girls were in orange - it was an orange t-shirt.
Not a jumpsuit. Same slacks, shoes, etc - just an orange t-shirt. As opposed to yellow (which designated those who were at risk or
threatening to injure themselves (i.e. cutters), and another one that was for those who had planned or attempted to run away.
Nor do I believe anyone was forced into these - it was simply the clothes they had to wear. When you only uniform is a t-shirt -
you wear it.
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Also, one thing about Cross Creek is it is a state licensed treatment facility - with several therapist on staff at all times.
Treatment facilities are much more regulated than the ordinary schools.
A lot of people have mentioned the lack of due process - this was not a prison. As a few have stated, I am responsible for my
children until they turn 18. It was my belief that she was on the verge of complete self destruction. If you had actually gone
and read the BLOG - which many of you admit that you have not, then you would know that we spent a year in therapy and with Katie
going to short term facilities three times before being sent to the program. It wasn't until she had been kicked out of school and
I was out of options that I found this.
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Ok - then we get to page what - 5? Talking about last year when Katie broke some minor rules and lied about them. People call me evil
because I express the fact that I was frustrated. It is sad that men in todays society are not permitted to express ANY emotions -
I'm evil because I'm frustrated that she is lying and breaking the rules again.
Look at it this way. If you constantly lied to your boss about doing your job at work, if you were writing a novel at work instead
of doing your job - what response would there be? If you were caught stealing supplies, or surfing porn at work. It is not uncommon
for people to be fired for not obeying the rules - regardless of what the rules are. Period. One thing that was attempted to be
taught was that actions have consequences. People make their own choices - and if you choose not to obey the rule then you will suffer the
consequences.
Unless of course you are rich or a powerful politician (hey, if I don't pay my taxes I'm going to jail, not becoming treasury secretary).
But the rest of us live in the real world.
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I also find it very interesting to see people posting and responding anonymously - it is real easy to hide where no one can see
you. I'd like to challenge all of you to be as open with your identity as mine has become.
I'd like all of the people who feel the need to criticize me put up their name and links to their pictures as well. It is easy to
sit back behind your pc and call me evil - I'm out there and being honest - where are you?
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People are upset that I put up a referral page. Sorry if you don't like it. But you will be ecstatic to know that only 4 people
ever asked for information on the site, and to this date we did not get one referral. Nor did insurance pay for this, or any
donations. I'll be paying off the loans for close to 30 years - and the monthly payment is more than my mortgage. In an attempt
to help my daughter. Did it work - only time will tell. But she didn't end up in the hospital for sniffing glue and lysol like her
best friend pre-program did (who I heard actually od'd a few years back), though they were doing it together.
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After that, somebody mentions the melt-downs - when Katie's older brother and I had to hold her down. This was pre-program, and those
incidents led her to go to a local hospital program - which lasted a whole week. This was during the period she was threatening her
brothers and step-mother - swinging at Diane and stopping just short of hitting her. Verbally abusive to everyone in the family. Her
older brother would not have any friends over because of her - it was amazing to find that once she was not in the home that her three
brothers actually did have friends. Katie was not, and will not, rule my home. Period.
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At the bottom of page 7 - personal attacks against Diane because of her weight. Just because I'm fat doesn't mean I can't tell that others
aren't fat as well. Guess what - I don't really want my daughter to be fat. I don't want her to be over 300 lbs. But she now is.
In the program she was actually slowly loosing weight - which all her doctors had said she needed to do. She exercised, if not every day
then nearly so. Now I'm lucky if she ever gets off the couch. I can't force her - she is 18 now and makes her own decisions. But it
doesn't mean I have to like them.
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Page 8.
LEAVE MY FATHER OUT OF THIS. Period. Again, I challenge these people creating new accounts to come clean with their identies.
But leave those not involved out of this. I am completely responsible for all my own decisions - those good and bad. I decided to send
here there - I take full responsibility. Do you anonymous posters think it was right - no. Too bad. Take some responsibiliy yourself
and come clean with your own identity.
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Page 10. Comments about us not trying other alternatives. These are the other alternatives we tried for a year prior to the program? The
therapy for her and the whole family? Getting her involved. Oh, she loved that one. The worse she acted the more attention she got - so
that I had to practically neglect her three brothers because everything at the time had to revolve around her. As a parent I have all of
my children to consider, not just one of them. I would have loved to find something that worked that was cheaper and easier - but I failed
to find that. Of course I should have just come on this forum and have all of the anonymous posters parent her for me, because you have
all the answers. As I said before, I take full responsibility for my actions and my mistakes. I'm not perfect like all the people
posting on here - sorry for that.
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Page 11. I love how quoting statistics (and we all know that 78.239% of statistics are made up right on the spot :-) makes the behavior
correct. Just because you can quote that 78% of kids cheat on tests DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT!!! Some things in life are shades of grey, but
others are not. Cheating on a test is never correct, is never right. Period.
Bottom of the page - gee - some open and honest opinions - what a nice change.
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Page 12 - someone mentions due process and having somebody do screening - admitting. Lets see - Katie had already been admitted to short
term programs run by local Hospitals three times in the year prior - and only stopped those because the insurance ran out. She would have
stayed (voluntarily) in the last one quite a bit longer had the insurance not stopped covering it after a total of 30 days. Unfortunately
hospitals cost even more than the program.
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Page 13 - I had to laugh when another anonymous poster is asking for the IP and name of someone else. If you aren't willing to reveal
your identity, then don't ask anyone else to. Me - I believe I should have the name, city, phone number etc. of EVERYONE critical of me
on this forum - because you felt the need to post mine.
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Page 14 - Katie's letter. Let me say that as a parent I chose to create the blog to help others. It was my experiences. Katie wants
to be hurt by everything and everybody - and in truth the blog is about Me, not really about her. It is what I went through. I don't have
her side because I am not her! I only know my own experiences.
Oh, and I don't know if we will discuss it or not, but Katie is perfectly welcome to share her thoughts / feelings. I just hope that
she takes responsibility for her words, and begins to learn to take responsibility for her actions and her life.
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As I create this account, Katie sees it over my shoulder and gets upset. Reading what I'm doing over my shoulder it at the very minimum quite rude.
She is mad because I don't have her side of the story - I'll read the rest of her thread later.
I've created a new email for this that people can email if they like - I don't want my normal one flamed. You can email me at
mcarter.fornits@gmail.com. However I WILL NOT RESPOND to anonymous emails - since people have decided to post my name, Diane's phone numbers and a whole lot more information, then if you expect me to respond then I will expect the same - a minimum of your full name and location. Nor will I respond to flames. I will entertain open and honest discussion. I am limiting it to that account - period. Anything sent to other accounts, or posted on my personal blog, will not be responded to.
I don't know how often I'll check here - depends on how much of a beating I feel like receiving in any given day.
Michael C Carter
Father
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