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Sometimes parents in their search for something to help their child fall upon the idea of Boot Camps. Parents who do send their children to these facilities are not doing so merely to get rid of their children and they are not uncaring parents. Until you have experienced the pain of an uncontrollable child, the uncertainty of not knowing how to help or get help for a child who is going down the wrong path, and the disturbance to your family life that occurs with an uncontrollable or violent child, you can not know or understand the desperation that prompts loving, caring parents to do these things.

I sent my child to a Boot Camp in the hopes of returning my home to a peaceful place and in the hopes of being able to provide a better home for both of my children. Sometimes the lack of peace in your home will lead to problems and resentments in your other children. It got in our home to the point where the money and time spent on the troubled child, led to our smaller child being denied things and time that we wanted to be able to spend with him. Our older child was violent and very disrespectful. We couldn't go anywhere or do anything fun because the older child was always grounded but not old enough to be left at home. The older child would even go as far as to set small fires in our basement and had no respect for us or for what we gave him.

The psychologists appeared to not be helping at all and it was a nightmare. So we finally sent him to a Boot Camp for two weeks. It helped some but I wish we had been able to send him for longer. The results were disappointing. But we did have some success from it. We had been told to send him to an Outdoor Therapeutic Center but we didn't have the $30,000 to send him there. When we asked the state for help we were told that the state didn't have the funds to help us. Everyone believes that he needs help but until he becomes a danger to someone else or himself the state will not provide help. Boot Camp was our best option, because it is less expensive. It did teach him that there was something we could do to him that would bother him and that we were strong enough to do it. But unfortunately the results were not long term.

Boot Camp can be beneficial to children who are starting down the wrong path and who show no respect for authority. From everything that I have read, you should send your child for at least three or four months, and it should be before they actually have a criminal record. They are taught respect for authority, responsibility and to appreciate the things that they have. Or at least that is the attempt. It is something that can parents try to help their children.

Learn more about this author, Stephanie Jordan.
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