Mikey
Psycho Gorilla Dad
...and I'd like some input. I've had a chance to meet many of the parents of my difficult child's "friends", i.e. the stoner crowd he hangs out with. In most cases, they're as fed up, burnt out, and desparate as I am. I found a little home here on CD, but most of the other parents don't even have that much.
For whatever reason, they're isolated. Could be shame, could be anger, could be exhaustion, whatever. But there's quite a few of them out there, in my neighborhood, just like me.
I'm thinking of starting a local Families Anonymous group, and inviting some of the other parents to participate. I'm just a tad concerned about trying this, though, for several reasons.
<ul>[*]I don't know how the parents will react - will they get upset and think I'm trying to interfere? [*]I don't know how my difficult child (or theirs) will react. Will they see it as a parental conspiracy? [*]Will my son see this as yet another attempt to "pen him in" by co-opting the parents of his friends? [/list]I can see a lot of good coming from something like this, but also the potential for a lot of conflict. What do 'yall think?
Oh, by the way: there are two other FA groups in our area, but this a large metro, and both meetings are at least a 20 minute drive from our part of the city. A local group would be easier to attend, and I think I can talk my pastor into letting us use a room.
Thoughts?
Mikey
For whatever reason, they're isolated. Could be shame, could be anger, could be exhaustion, whatever. But there's quite a few of them out there, in my neighborhood, just like me.
I'm thinking of starting a local Families Anonymous group, and inviting some of the other parents to participate. I'm just a tad concerned about trying this, though, for several reasons.
<ul>[*]I don't know how the parents will react - will they get upset and think I'm trying to interfere? [*]I don't know how my difficult child (or theirs) will react. Will they see it as a parental conspiracy? [*]Will my son see this as yet another attempt to "pen him in" by co-opting the parents of his friends? [/list]I can see a lot of good coming from something like this, but also the potential for a lot of conflict. What do 'yall think?
Oh, by the way: there are two other FA groups in our area, but this a large metro, and both meetings are at least a 20 minute drive from our part of the city. A local group would be easier to attend, and I think I can talk my pastor into letting us use a room.
Thoughts?
Mikey