[redforever]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

I hate to say this but what is with the feel good/bad Christmas spirt crap? You say that Chistmas is about sharing love (which apparently is only able to be done though the use of presents and other material goods) yet you ignore the fact that sometimes what is necessary is for a good kick in the ass. Coddling little *******s such as this little ******* leads to a situation where the little *******s feel as though there are no consiquences for their actions and as such are free to act in any way that they see fit. I have worked with little *******s in the past and I know that sometimes they have bad parents and a poor upbringing but that can only be used as a crutch for so long until the rug is pulled out from under them and they are faced with the reality that this is the world they live in, and no ones boss cares that your mother had you when she wasn't old enough and that your great-grandmother is younger than most other kids grandmothers. The only thing they will get is a boot in the ass or a pink slip in the hand.

Does it suck that it had to come to this - sure. But are there worse things for the kid than to be steered in the right direction at what I hope is a young age. This just shows me that the mother can at least admit to herself that she does need help which is the best thing for the kid and likely the mother at the same time.

How do we know that the child was coddled. We do know however, that at the present time, the child has severe behavioural problems. And as I said before, there are many factors that produce children like this.

Has mental illness ever crossed your mind? Now there is a heartbreak for you. The child has problems, the child exhibits problems, the child exhibits severe problems, the parents know there is a problem, the parents try to deal with the problem, the parents try with all their hearts to deal with the problem, the parents become desperate to get help for the child with the problem, the child is put on behaviour modification drugs, the problem persists because too many times, the problem is not correctly diagnosed.

How often do you think of children with mental illness? First thoughts are, if that child had ever been disciplined in their life, the parents would not have the problem they have today. That child needs a whack on the posterior.

We had a niece come live with us for 2 years. She went through the cycle too, became a ward of the province of Saskatchewan, became totally estranged from her mother. She got kicked out of school, had to find an alternate school and thank God for a very astute teacher there who thought my niece exhibited classic symptoms of bi-polar disorder. It was that teacher who got our niece to a doctor and that doctor got her to a hospital for testing. Upon testing, they found out what her chemical imbalance was, she is now on medication, will be for the rest of her life. By the time she came to live with us, she had gone through the counselling, she was on her medication, she takes her medication like a trooper, she finished her highschool and is now a contributing member of society and you would never know she is bi-polar. But she is one of the bright lights, one of the feel good stories. How many end up on the streets of our major cities?

And how many become yet another suicide statistic. That too is rampant in our society today, and the province of Alberta, with its big rat race, hurry, hurry, hurry, pressure, pressure, pressure, does not do its youth a favor in too many circumstances.

We have been to the funerals of 3 youths, all the result of death by suicide. Try telling those parents, those parents who loved their children with all their hearts, who tried everything they possibly could to help their children, who had to bury their children in the end, that all their children needed was more discipline.