It's been a while since I posted on this forum, though I have been lurking and taking heart from all the support that goes around and touches me. We've just survived--I think--a brutal Christmas. And I am thinking more seriously about an option that a rather wealthier friend proposed to me some months ago. He suggested that if my 27-yr-old's difficult child's constant crises, bullying tactics, dysfunctionality, etc. were all wearing me down to the point where my own life and the happiness of everyone around me was crippled, and yet I couldn't detach completely . . . I should hire someone to take the calls and negotiate the visits. So that if difficult child craves money, or is nosediving at 2 a.m., or is suddenly homeless, or whatever, he cannot call me, but he can call this person (let's name him Joe). And Joe either talks him down or sets him straight or, if the crisis seems worthy of the name, communicates calmly with me so I can address the problem without having a lunatic on the other end of the line. I'm not sure I can afford this, but it seems worth its weight in gold at the moment. Has anyone else tried this approach? How has it worked? If anyone in the Northeast has an individual to recommend, they could PM me. Thanks and Happy Boxing Day!