Troubled Teens Resources

Troubled teenagers with a history of Oppositional Defiant Disorder are exceptionally fortunate if they find themselves in the care of strong, loving parents. Some accounts of ODD behavior are indeed difficult to read . You wonder how any one parent can sustain a healthy environment for their other children when so much time must be dedicated to managing one out of control child or teen. You wonder how marriages survive and families stay intact.

For those parents undergoing such a trial, it is often good to hear an honest account of day to day life.

“People seem to be under the assumption that children with disabilities are “special” and I mean, sweet, loving, holding flowers, blowing kisses and waving at others with a sweet and age delayed hello from their wheelchairs. Angels, precious little angels. Yeah, whatever. If mine is an angel he works for the other side. He is mean, angry, violent and destructive. He has ODD. ..
[..]
Daily, I am hit, I am scratched, I get called names, I get spit on, I get my hair pulled. Some days more than others, of course. Daily, I clean up pee and poop from clothes and from other places.”

Yet, what makes it all do-able is that mysterious ability of some parents to love through it all.

“In spite of all of this, we love him, we love him enough to deal with all the crap, every day, and still love him, not for what he does, but for who he is. A child, our child. We love him enough to dread that a day might come where we can’t do this anymore.”

(Source)

Parents must do what is best for their situation, be it send the teen to a specialty school, such as the many schools for troubled teens or, if family and resources are strong, keep working with the troubled teen in the home. But to raise such a teen without any outside help is very ill advised.