I want the author, Susan Gaines, to be my mentor...or something like my sponsor, maybe...you know, I want to be able to call her up mid panic attack and have her tell me what to do or just that it's going to be alright. Only, after what she's been through, I wouldn't really want to do that to her.
Let's just say the article resonated -- particularly the line where she says she "feared going to the grocery store where I might run into neighbors whose children all seemed to be doing well." The feeling that everyone else's kids seem to be better off than yours is just plain heart-wrenching.
I think the main reason I liked the article is that it provided me with a little relief. Sure, there's the relief that comes from knowing others have gone through this too. Then the relief of feeling (hoping?) that our teenager isn't as bad off as hers. But mostly it's the relief of knowing that she's seen her son through to adulthood and has now found a way to stop his choices from affecting her life.
That's what we're trying to do...we've made a lot of progress but keep running into new stumbling blocks. It's more than a little difficult to separate yourself from the choices that your child makes while you are still legally responsible for him and he is living under your roof.
But still, we keep going. Hoping that every day we have to endure his suffering is one more day we might show him there's a better way.
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