How to break free when your teen is holding the family hostage
When Devorah called me, she sounded like she was at the end of her rope. She felt that the behavior of her third child, Miri, was out of control, and she couldn’t handle the family dynamic any longer. We scheduled an appointment with her and her husband, Yitzchak, for the following week.
Devorah and Yitzchak arrived with tentative smiles. After filling out the intake documents, they settled comfortably onto the couch.
“It’s so nice to meet you both,” I said. “I spoke with Devorah briefly on the phone, but can you tell me more about why you’re seeking support?”
Devorah looked imploringly at her husband. He gave the universal gesture of parental exhaustion: the temple rub. “I actually don’t know how we got here, because Miri is a good kid. It’s like it went from fine to completely unmanageable, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why. That’s why we pushed off getting help for so long.”
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