you know one thing that surprised me was how normally most kids acted compared to what Id been told they behaved like. Most of them arrived pretty compliant and tried to do what you asked them. Some were a little mouthy or tried to act tough at first but then dont most kids when they are new to a situation? Some had real issues like ADD or something but they were more likely to get in trouble for just playing stupid pranks or not paying attention than faking. The kids there for drugs or behaving badly at home were actually pretty well behaved most of the time. I can see why you'd imagine there would be lot of faking but you need to understand that the hikes are pretty tough for an adult in good shape. If you are a fat kid, or your lungs are in bad shape from smoking a lot of drugs or you are just out of shape then it is pretty uncomfortable. So maybe some kids just dont know what it is like to excercise strenuously when out of shape but even if this is the case when they say they feel lousy its not faking, the probably do. Some of those kids would genuinely feel better after rest and water, but occasionally a kid wouldnt. Isnt it more logical to give the kid the benefit of the doubt and use the radio to get help? if they are faking a dr would sort it out, if not their life has been saved.
The struggle for staff, as I see it, is how to determine when there is a problem requiring medical help. If the staff aborted the hike and lead the kids down off the mountain every day to visit the doctors because a kid said he felt ill and it turned out he didn’t need a visit then even the doctor would probably ask the program to get the guy some training.
We all know that kids will quickly catch on if they say they don’t feel well and then get rewarded with a nice trip into town, with AC and a nap, versus hiking in 90 degree heat. If we assume that the staff didn’t want the kids to die then it goes back to training.
The problem with your reasoning, Whooter, is that in
real life the "we-all-know" scenario rarely happens. As 9403390 clearly pointed out to you, from the perspective of a former staff member,
most kids simply do not behave that way. And *I* can tell you, from my own personal experience, that to behave in such a fashion would never have even occurred to me.
Despite your claim of advising
"caution in assuming that all programs take the same approach or attitude that the one posting 'Mr. Manipulation' does," it would appear that
you, in fact, embrace that philosophy and mindset wholeheartedly! Are you
that jaded and filled with cynicism that you advocate throwing common sense and safety considerations out the window in favor of snuffing out the evil maneuvers of wayward youth?
When you said,
"I do know from experience that many kids are manipulative and that is how they get their way and get stuff," were you perchance talking about
yourself, once upon a time?