Visited Toots today at the hospital. It was a pretty quiet visit because she'd just gotten out of bed (at 3 pm). We were sitting in the unit dining room, and she mentioned that another girl had flipped all the tables and chairs in the room last night. Toots went on to describe how throwing furniture is "fun" because you get to express your feelings and "you get lots of attention from the staff". I said, "Toots, don't forget that, if you get a job, you wouldn't be able to do that if you got upset". She laid into me about how I "always hassle her". "I KNOW I wouldn't be able to throw furniture! Why do you always have to say the same things!" Etc., etc.
Again, nothing I haven't heard a thousand times before.
She's supposed to be in eleventh grade. We should be looking into colleges and shopping for a prom dress. Instead, she's settled into an institutionalized life of sleeping, eating, and watching TV. I fear she will never go back to school at this point. If she doesn't want to, the law says we can't force her.
I know that she is who she is, but it still makes me very sad.
Me too honey.
ReplyDeleteI feel for you because my daughter is in a psychiatric facility and seems to like it there too. She is in 11th grade but is not going to school as of now. No idea if she will ever return to school. It makes me feel bad that she is not in school and hanging out with her friends and doing the other high school stuff. But I have to remind myself that she is where she is supposed to be for now and hopefully will work through her issues and get well. Thanks for sharing because it helps to know that I am not the only one with an acting out teenage girl with FAS.
ReplyDeleteI was in a store the other day, and happened to notice that most of the teen girl magazines have their prom issues out. Now, I know that the prom shouldn't be the highlight of one's high school career, and I understand that some kids are spending truly insane amounts of money on it. Still, I wish that Toots had something like that to look forward to this spring, rather than ongoing hospitalization.
ReplyDelete