It might also be worth noting that I have told my granddaughter many times that I didn't think it was a good idea for A to be talking to his friends all night and I encouraged her to find out who he was talking to and get the jest of their conversations, he and his brothers also play video games that I would not allow but that fell on deaf ears too. NOW, mom is saying. " I think A is listening to these friends of his and they are putting stuff in his head." It's easy to forget that A has mental illness and is mentally not 16 but more like 11 or 12 years old, The Dr's said he was delayed about 4 years. Mom and dad bought A an old clunker of a car last month, it doesn't run but it gives dad and A some together time while serving as a teaching aid. All well and good but here's MY point. What the H3ll are these two loving, caring parents thinking? They have an 11 or 12 year old boy in a 16 year old body. He can not process things like a normal 16 year old. He is by no means ready to drive a dang car than his 11 year old brother is. His decision making skills are corrupted with mixed messages that he can not process, he is confused about life and about he himself. His mind is in overload, trying to figure things out. He has been given too much freedom to make decisions that he doesn't understand. And with most kids, they blame everything on mom and dad and why not, after all they are the ones that make him clean his room. I feel with time A will come around, until the next time and then one day he will be an adult and when he is made to do something he doesn't like he can go to jail. When this generation reaches adulthood, I shudder to think what will happen. Our mental health system leaves a lot to be desired and with budget cuts it's getting even worse. The program he is in now is only 7 days, they will reevaluate him then and if he has shown enough progress he will be released to go home. If not they will send him somewhere else that has a longer treatment period. I have had plenty of experience with this type of facility and believe me they do very little to help these kids. The staff is usually hired off the street and given very little if any training, the pay is low and the attitude is, it's just a job. The Dr. sees the kids very rarely and makes his diagnoses based on the notes from the techs and the nurses. Medications are given but since the program is only 7 days long there is no time to monitor it, especially when it takes 4-6 weeks for the meds to make a difference. ( 2 weeks for some) Then they go to another facility where they have a new Dr. with opinions of his own. He changes the medication in most cases and we start all over again. There is very little therapeutic benefits. Now, I know there are some good places out there that genuinely care about these kids but it's a roll of the dice whether the one your child is in is one of them. Well, I am sorry for writing a novel, I just intended on sharing with you what's be going on in my life lately. Having said all this, I just want to add that I am trying to stay in good spirits and taking care of myself. But I am still just , well you know. thanks again... Jeanie

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