Here's something I learned today.
A couple of years ago I saw an angry kid who was about seventeen. He had a lot of reasons to be angry, including an abusive father who then vanished from his life. There were other problems. The young man was bright but very provocative and got himself thrown out of high school.
He tried to join the Marines but they wouldn't have him. That was in 2004. He spent the next three years getting fired from jobs, drinking, taking drugs and getting in fights.
Last week he went to the army recruiter. They not only signed him right up, they gave him some substance to drink before he went to take the army's drug test. They told him that when he was in the army he could drink all he wanted on his time off, but no drugs.
They told him that there was a chance he would end up in Iraq, but that by the time he was out of boot camp the war could be over. I'm not sure he knows where Iraq is.
They don't seem to care who drives those humvees any more.
(for those of you who continue to wonder -- don't worry -- this young man, and other people I mention here, probably won't read this blog, wouldn't be able to recognize themselves, due to altered details, and most wouldn't care anyway)
Love,
T
4 comments:
A sad state of affairs Therapist, for the young man you mention as well as for our country. Although many, many things could go wrong, I do hope that his time in the military turns into a positive.I wish him a safe journey into manhood. And thank you for providing a glimpse into your world. :)
Your patients world should not be written about over the internet.
It's wrong.
If I found your blog by not even trying, they can too.
Do you not have a code of ethics?
For ANONYMOUS and Mumbles,
I see a therapist and have for years. I wouldn't mind if he wrote about my struggles. Reading this blog gives you insight to others worlds, and maybe just maybe helps someone else. Thank you Mumbles!!!
ANONYMOUS, Mumbles writes with no names addresses etc. It could be anyone it could even be you.
So what? Relax and maybe even learn.:)
While gathering the usual background information from a new couple I saw recently, the wife described her previous marriage to an abusive guy. She had hooked up with him in her teens to escape her abusive parents' house (big surprise) and married him when she got pregnant. Being the responsible one, she understood that the military would provide medical care for her and baby, so she urged him to join the army. (That was in 2002). He actually tried to enlist but they wouldn't accept him because he had a "personality disorder".
I quipped, "He ought to try again. They'd probably accept him now."
She cracked up laughing and said, "He did! He's in Iraq now!"
Are you old enough to remember "Alice's Restaurant"?
PS: Dear Anonymous - Ethical standards permit disclosures of protected information that do not identify the client.
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