TEENAGER CRISIS
Lisa,
I am so sorry that you are experiencing so much trauma with Siehara. You are an excellent parent and I agree with the things that you are doing. I also agree with Steffi that you speak with Siehara about the specific messages. I know that it is uncomfortable but you have been through this before. I hope that you hear from Kids Peace. Is Siehara close to her brother? Would he be someone who could speak to her? Just know that you have a lot of love and support here at OH and we are all sending you prayers and positive energy. Hang in there. One day Siehara will realize the gift of your tough love. Take good care of yourself.
Donna
I am so sorry that you are experiencing so much trauma with Siehara. You are an excellent parent and I agree with the things that you are doing. I also agree with Steffi that you speak with Siehara about the specific messages. I know that it is uncomfortable but you have been through this before. I hope that you hear from Kids Peace. Is Siehara close to her brother? Would he be someone who could speak to her? Just know that you have a lot of love and support here at OH and we are all sending you prayers and positive energy. Hang in there. One day Siehara will realize the gift of your tough love. Take good care of yourself.
Donna
Update:
I got a call back from Kids Peace and was able to get an appointment on Tuesday. When I was telling the woman on the phone what was going on, she mentioned "addiction" and impulsivity. She found a therapist who has dealt with various types of addictions in the past and is good at what she does.
After school, we had a nice talk about a lot of stuff. She is in a lot of pain inside. I offered a lot of suggestions to her, including writing down all the great things about her. I also told her that if she had something she wanted to talk to me about but was uncomfortable talking, she could write me a letter. Over the next few days, I am going to write a letter to her. In it, I am going to include all of the positives I see in her. I hope that it will mean something to her. Eventually, I know she will look back at it and know how much I really care about her.
There is now a cordless phone in the kitchen that she knows is for emergencies only. The cable to the television is locked up in a drawer in my filing cabinet, along with her cell phone and any other electronic devices that she owns. The xbox has never left my closet since the day it came home.
Tonight, we lit Hanukkah candles and made a beautiful and healthy dinner together and sat at the table and ate together. There were no presents given tonight. We watched the movie, "The Help". It is an awesome movie with a lot of lessons. We talked about some of the things as they came up and really enjoyed the time spent together. Hopefully, getting back to counseling with someone who is specially trained to deal with her issues, including family sessions, will help to get us going in the right direction.
Thank you to all of you for your continued support.
I got a call back from Kids Peace and was able to get an appointment on Tuesday. When I was telling the woman on the phone what was going on, she mentioned "addiction" and impulsivity. She found a therapist who has dealt with various types of addictions in the past and is good at what she does.
After school, we had a nice talk about a lot of stuff. She is in a lot of pain inside. I offered a lot of suggestions to her, including writing down all the great things about her. I also told her that if she had something she wanted to talk to me about but was uncomfortable talking, she could write me a letter. Over the next few days, I am going to write a letter to her. In it, I am going to include all of the positives I see in her. I hope that it will mean something to her. Eventually, I know she will look back at it and know how much I really care about her.
There is now a cordless phone in the kitchen that she knows is for emergencies only. The cable to the television is locked up in a drawer in my filing cabinet, along with her cell phone and any other electronic devices that she owns. The xbox has never left my closet since the day it came home.
Tonight, we lit Hanukkah candles and made a beautiful and healthy dinner together and sat at the table and ate together. There were no presents given tonight. We watched the movie, "The Help". It is an awesome movie with a lot of lessons. We talked about some of the things as they came up and really enjoyed the time spent together. Hopefully, getting back to counseling with someone who is specially trained to deal with her issues, including family sessions, will help to get us going in the right direction.
Thank you to all of you for your continued support.
Lisa,
Just want to say that you are a really wonderful Mom and one day Siehara will really, really get it and appreciate all that you did on her behalf!!!
Glad to hear that Kids Peace got back to you quickly and Steffi had lots of good ideas, as did others, I like the letter thing and remember much of what she is going through is the whole teenager stuff and anything else, I think a good counselor will go a long way, especially since you are such a willing participant in making your daughter's transition to adulthood as well guided as possible.
Hugs, Laureen
Just want to say that you are a really wonderful Mom and one day Siehara will really, really get it and appreciate all that you did on her behalf!!!
Glad to hear that Kids Peace got back to you quickly and Steffi had lots of good ideas, as did others, I like the letter thing and remember much of what she is going through is the whole teenager stuff and anything else, I think a good counselor will go a long way, especially since you are such a willing participant in making your daughter's transition to adulthood as well guided as possible.
Hugs, Laureen
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland