I'm honestly in tears right now. Reading the first post which I found because I googled "turning your teen over to the state" and skimming over others, its like I could've written them myself. I've been through soo much with my now 15Yo son. Legally which I'm still paying for financially as well as the emotional toll. I've teeterd on this for some time. My son is 6'4" weighs 280lbs. He can be the sweetest boy at times but its only when everything goes his way. He's very manipulative and makes other people think he's a victim when really our family is. I know having to pay for others property damage and my own. I've been all up and through the system for his version of why I hit him (in defense). I literally had to pay the courts thousands for court fees. Which I feel were dragged out ridiculously. But every appearance equalled more money to be paid. I said in court that I couldn't handle him. They put him in a group home for a year of course I had to pay child support and I can tell you that group home =glorified daycare. There's no structure. Those people don't care about those kids disrespecting them, they're just working a shift. Needless to say, he came back worse. That was 2yrs ago. He's been through every school in the district cause he's been kicked out as well as being kicked out of opportunity school and continuation. He's defiant, he yells at us, he steals from us, he's smoking pot, he's having strangers in my house at night when I'm asleep.... I'm done. I have two other children and for years I never noticed that I was soo busy trying to keep my son from being bad by buying things praising him for doing very little all the while not giving them the attention and praise they deserved for being good kids. When my youngest said she'd have to be like him to get attention I hurt bad. Ive always felt bad for thinking of the option to give up but today I know it's the only option. I am very thankful for this website and everyone that has opened up. I swear I am even breathing a little easier now because I truly felt like a monster.