I own my own businesses. Although I have provided pretty well, I wasn't home very much. As our three children became teenagers the troubles and emotions escalated exponentially to the point where we were all out of control. Our marriage was dying, and so was our family. Our constant fights with and about our kids were never ending. Unfortunately we didn't find this life saving program until our second child, Megan, turned sixteen.
Although, at first we were fearful of sending Megan to Tranquility Bay, we were more fearful of where she was going to end up if we didnʼt. Her peerʼs opinions on life and her own teenage desires had complete control of her. The family counselors we had seen didnʼt even begin to scratch the surface of her self destructive actions and attitudes. She was on a downward spiral of drugs and drinking and we did not know how to stop it. Her constant threats of running away, because she hated us for trying to run her life, was eating our hearts out. Her attitude of entitlement to make her own decisions, as bad as they were, was something we could not overcome in this area and with her socalled friends around.
We had chosen Tranquility Bay because we knew it would give her a pretty severe reality check. Being in a totally different culture and environment made a big difference in helping her to work her program, which would have never happened for her living in the sunny suburbs. The relief we felt when we realized what a safe, caring and loving place we had sent her was nothing short of phenomenal. Although we still had to go through the hate and then pleading mail, which the Family Rep forewarned us would be coming, we were kept completely informed of her conduct and attitude towards her knew environment and structured life. It took her several weeks to begin to figure out that had it not been for this place of safety, commitment and love she would have been on the streets, or dead. Because of the experience and commitment of all the Program staff, Counselors, Family Reps and Facilitators, our daughter began to make working choices for herself. Once the changes began there was no stopping her.
My wife and I needed to make many changes ourselves. The kids did not end up here all by themselves. We all needed to learn to make working choices. The adult seminars were every important and very helpful for us all.
Megan turned 18 while in the Program, but willingly chose to stay and graduate for herself. She has regained her commitment to family and her own future with a tremendous amount of determination and confidence. Now that she is back at home we see the difference in the choices she has learned to make.
We were so impressed with the outcome of our daughters experience that we took our youngest son to Tranquility Bay. Despite the positive changes he saw in the rest of us, the peer pressure, low self esteem, and drugs had too strong of a hold on him. In the positive, structured and consequential environment of Tranquility Bay, he too learned how to make working choices for himself.
We did not do this as a punishment, but rather out of our deepest love and commitment to our childrenʼs well being and future. The Program has saved us all.
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