The Family Foundation School
Prior to being sent to The Family School, my life revolved around alcohol and drugs, boys, self-mutilation, and anything that helped me escape reality. My addictions took over my life and I pushed away my family to protect my disease.
I did not have the hardest life growing up, but my family did have issues. When I was two my father fell and broke his spinal cord. It was hard knowing that my dad was different than other kids' dads, and in elementary school I started acting out by fighting and being defiant.
When I arrived at The Family School, I was arriving at my third high school since the 10th grade. I was self-centered, violent, and truly hurting. From drugs to relationships, I was always ready to sacrifice who I was for whatever would take the focus off me.
I was a typical spoiled brat before I got sent to The Family School. My life consisted only of guys and parties. At the age of sixteen, I thought it was normal to stay out all night partying and going to clubs and bars.
Valentine's Day lost its romance after I was arrested with my girlfriend that day two years ago. Consequently, my parents decided to do something about my deceitful, destructive, and deadend lifestyle.
Before arriving at The Family School, I did whatever I wanted and didn't care about the consequences. At home I didn't do anything in school for two years and then got sent to a rehab and got kicked out.
At home I was a monster. I was thrown out of class almost daily, picked fights, got involved in abusive relationships, and was violent towards my family. They finally had enough of my outbursts and disrespect, and sent me to wilderness.
Before I got to The Family School I was involved with drugs and crime, and I did whatever I wanted to do. I was not going to school, and I was fighting against my family and everyone else that got on the way of me getting what I wanted.
Every time I think of my stay at The Family School, I think of how weird it is that I came without substance abuse. I reflect on the fact of how bad I had to be to get here, and realize I was just that.
I thought life was about money, friends, fame, and having fun. Nothing was more important to me than doing what I wanted and my family was the least of my concerns.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder Facts
How do I know if my child has oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)?
Determining when a child's behavior meets the criteria for a specific disorder is difficult for parents. Complicating our understanding of our children's behavior is our own questioning about whether we are at fault-if the behavioral problems are a result of something we are doing, or not doing. We hope that the information here will help you understand oppositional defiant disorder and point you toward resources that can help.
About one in 10 children may have oppositional defiant disorder, which is defined as a persistent pattern of defiant behaviors such as arguing, anger, tantrums and/or disruptive behaviors toward you as parents, or other authority figures. Children with oppositional defiant disorder tend not to perform well in traditional classroom settings or respond as expected to normal parental rules and boundaries. They tend to have a negative, argumentative attitude and can show hostility toward authority figures. Typical behaviors also include refusals to follow rules, spiteful or vindictive behavior and difficulty accepting responsibility for their behavior. This tendency to blaming others for misbehavior creates difficulty maintaining positive relationships with family members and friends. Adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder tend to gravitate toward a "negative" peer group that supports their acting out against established rules and authority figures.
Since it is normal to display certain degrees of oppositional behavior throughout childhood and adolescence, it is difficult to discern between children that are strong willed, or even those going through normal adolescent development, and those with oppositional defiant disorder. However, if your child's defiant or oppositional behaviors have been persistent, are disruptive to the family or school environment, and have lasted at least 6 months, he or she may have oppositional defiant disorder.
Children with oppositional defiant disorder may also have one or more coexisting disorders, such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), anxiety, or depression. Treatment options include individual and family counseling, medication and specialized academic and residential settings.
The Family Foundation School serves adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder by providing a supportive and consistent therapeutic environment that helps adolescents to develop independence while maintaining a healthy respect for themselves and others. Together with family support and counseling, caring teachers and staff and positive peers, adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder are able to grow and develop their full potential.
