Topic : 08/19 Tired of Being a Mom

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Created on : Thursday, March 20, 2008, 12:38:55 pm
Author : DrPhilBoard1
(Original Air Dare: 03/25/08) Motherhood isn't always about the good times, like baking brownies and having game night with the family. Dr. Phil talks to women who say they can’t cope with their children, and they’re running out of resources. Robyn adopted her 10-year-old daughter, Alyssa, six years ago from the Ukraine and says she actually has thoughts of sending the girl back. Robyn says that Alyssa hasn’t bonded with her and doesn’t know how to love anyone. She says her daughter screams, cries, yells and even threatened to kill herself! Robyn’s husband, Joe, can’t imagine living without his adoptive daughter and intends to stand by his commitment to the child. What's the real reason Robyn never bonded with Alyssa? Then, Cyndi says if she’d known her 12-year-old son, Alex, had autism and Down syndrome, she may not have brought him into the world. She says he hits himself, screams, grunts at the top of his lungs and wears two pairs of diapers at a time because he’s not potty trained. Her husband, Ulis, says he doesn’t find it difficult to care for Alex, but Cyndi says she’s exhausted and overwhelmed. Should the boy be institutionalized? Find out what Dr. Phil thinks. Plus, meet a mom with four kids who’s already left home twice. Now she’s scared she may leave again — this time for good. Talk about the show here.

Find out what happened on the show.


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April 2, 2008, 2:02 pm PDT

03/25 Tired of Being a Mom

Quote From: rainpainrain

Ok...again, it was my HALF brother. I don't have any step brothers or sisters.

I am not sure why you would assume that a parent getting help would have to leave their kids with anyone....that makes no sense....

She's not perfect...you don't seem to get that parents aren't perfect.

It was a hypothetical question, as to what you would do, do you chance your daughters well being

 

Hypothetically you came to the doctor Phil show and the good Doctor was going to send you to a place out of state to get help with what you are feeling about your abuse. and you have no other choice but to leave your child with your parents or refuse Dr. Phils help and seek help  out on your own. what do you choose?

 

My point being that Dr. Phil was not her only choice, she could of choose  to seek out help without taking a chance of hurting her kids.

 
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April 2, 2008, 2:31 pm PDT

03/25 Tired of Being a Mom

Quote From: getrealtime

It was a hypothetical question, as to what you would do, do you chance your daughters well being

 

Hypothetically you came to the doctor Phil show and the good Doctor was going to send you to a place out of state to get help with what you are feeling about your abuse. and you have no other choice but to leave your child with your parents or refuse Dr. Phils help and seek help  out on your own. what do you choose?

 

My point being that Dr. Phil was not her only choice, she could of choose  to seek out help without taking a chance of hurting her kids.

How is this relevent at all?

I think that what I would probably do is talk to Dr. Phil's staff and let them know of my situation. He seems like a caring guy who would help me in a way that fit best with my life.

And again, no one is perfect. Why are you harping on this? What is the gain?
 
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April 2, 2008, 3:09 pm PDT

03/25 Tired of Being a Mom

Quote From: rainpainrain

How is this relevent at all?

I think that what I would probably do is talk to Dr. Phil's staff and let them know of my situation. He seems like a caring guy who would help me in a way that fit best with my life.

And again, no one is perfect. Why are you harping on this? What is the gain?

Whats your gain, why do you keep harping on me for my opinions, why are you taking it so personally, you have the right to think the way you want and express your veiws to me but  because i see it different from you, I'm harping LOL 

 

No one is perfect, never said they should be, I just question  the lack of thought about the children.

 

I'll tell you like you feel free to tell me,  and ask   whats wrong with you, why can't you get it, its not

its not that hard,  a parent should spare their child additional emotional burndens and responsibility that they have no control over, what part of that do you not get?

A mothers needs should never supercede her child needs. That what i believe can't change it, its my opinion. I live by it.

 
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April 2, 2008, 6:32 pm PDT

I too am a tired mom of 2 girls with RAD

Quote From: tammborine

 I am so happy to hear people acknowledge Reactive Attachment Disorder, no one tells you anything about the possibility of this disorder when you are going through the adoption process. We have two wonderful children, not perfect, but great kids. We were asked to take in our niece by Child Protective Services, she was taken from her mother at 6months, CPS placed her into a shelter where she was placed into a crib and pretty much left there all day. Being taken from your mothers arms has to be one of the most traumatizing thingsa child could go thru, then put into a crib and left with no one to hold or console her, her not able to understand why they took her from the only thing she knew. We went through the long process of being approved to take her in as a Foster. We took her in 1 day before her first birthday, we were so excited we had went out and bought her a crib set, and all the things that she would need. My children were excited too. Right away I had difficulty with her, she would not sleep, I thought she is in a new place she will get used to it. Not the case she would not let me hold her to my chest to comfort she always had to face away from me, I could not rub her back and comfort her, nothing worked. I really did not think too much of it, because I thought love would fix her. CPS kept telling me there were no special needs and that she would adjust. Meanwhile we did not know i she would be taken from us and placed back with her mother so you are told to make sure everyone knows that she may be leaving our family. In other words don't get attached, because even thou the mother had not complied with any of the required programs that CPS had requested they still could not tell us if she would be placed back with her mother.  CPS finally severed the mothers rights Two years later. I really did not want to adopt because things were getting worse with her but everyone kept telling me things would change after the adoption, I also felt it would be another trauma to her to after two years to give her up. I still thought things might get better. We went through with the adoption in 2006 and I regret it everyday, my oldest now 18 does not get along with her at all, and it is very hard to deal with an 18year old as it is but I can't get her to a point of acceptance. My Son is going to be 7 and he loved her when she first came but she was very mean after visitations, so he has just stayed away from her he tries to play with her but it never lasts long. He also has to share his room with her which really affects him, she does not sleep and at night she gets up and plays which disturbs his sleep. We only have a three bedroom home, and we did not plan to be in this position, it was only supposed to be for a couple of months. Now I have been reading on RAD and I don't know what to do they say that a child with this disorder should never sleep in the same room with another child. I don't have any place else to put her and I don't know what to do to protect my son and the family. At this point if I could do things over I would have stayed out of the whole thing and not gotten involved. Most days I Hate her, and I don't like feeling like that, but she has turned my home and marriage upside down. If you would have asked me before she came I would have said I am a great mom, I now know that I am the Best Mom for my kids! As for her I think she would have been better off somewhere else,where they are prepared to deal with these sort of disorders.
 I too adopted 3 kids 2 years ago.  Today I have 2 girls, ages 12 & 9 and a boy, 5.  It has been such an incredible frustration.  First of all, I think that the adoption system completely failed us by not preparing us properly for adopting kids with RAD.  We did everything that was required of us, and RAD was never mentioned.

The first problem is that my kids have Medicaid insurance.  Trying to find a therapist that takes Medicaid is next to impossible.  Besides, you need a PHD to manuever the Medicaid system. 

The first therapist we found told us for 2 months that we were "going through an adjustment period".  That's all he said-nothing more!  Big help! 

The second therapist we saw for several months.  By that time I had heard of Reactive Attachment Disorder and started researching it.  I was sure that is what my kids had, but the therapist said they didn't.  She saw us for several months and one day said she felt that she couldn't help us and we should find another therapist. 

Towards the end, we had also been seeing an adoption counselor.  She saw us on the side from her job at an agency.  She came to the house and we really liked her.  She didn't come one week.  I tried to call her several times.  She didn't come the next 2 weeks, no call, no show.  When we finally got in touch with her, she said "oh, I've been busy". 

I made over 150 phone calls looking for help in some fashion:  adoption agencys, our county adoption offices, support groups, therapists offices, etc.  Every single call, with the exception of 1 place, ended in a deadend and no call back.  The one that called back are the ones who referred us to the counselor that didn't show up for 3 weeks because "she was busy'. 

Where does one turn for help?  I finally have a therapist who helps some.  She doesn't know the answers and she doesn't specialize in RAD, but she listens, and she respects what I have to say.  I'm a smart cookie and I don't want a therapist to start from scratch.  I've already done a lot that hasn't worked.  I don't want to do it again.  I read everything I can get my hands on.  I still don't have answers, but at least know I'm not going crazy.  I've had friends,  the kids' schools, and other parents who have been pretty rotten to me.  They don't see what I see and they think it's me.  They don't believe that my kids are manipulating them.  I've been reported to Child Protective Services (my daughter lied and said I punched her in the mouth) and the only way we found our current therapist is when my daughter ended up in a children's physciatric hospital for a week and they had to have a therapy appointment set up before we could leave. 

I don't get much of a break and I'm pretty drained most of the time so I can relate to Robyn, but I know that I'm in this for the long haul and I have not exhausted all my options yet.  I also feel that if I can find some answers, I can help save someone else from going throught  what I've gone through.  I would love to talk to an expert in the field and pick their brain or other parents with kids with RAD.  Boy, what I wouldn't give to have a couple hours with Dr. Phil and Dr. Lawless.  In my dreams, I guess...
 
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April 2, 2008, 8:49 pm PDT

03/25 Tired of Being a Mom

Quote From: getrealtime

Yes my son retaliated against the bully, the bully was pushing my son out of line, and after couple times of pushing my son out of line   my son pushed back, the other kid got in trouble Gage got a talking to, I guess the other kids in line back up my son story. but know one got hurt. 
That's good. Usually the bully isn't admonished for their behaviour, because they're highly manipulative. They will claim the person they were bullying actually was the one bullying them.
 
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April 3, 2008, 2:19 am PDT

Mother??

Quote From: tiger168

As the mother of three girls with reactive attachment disorder and the mother of another child with severe cerebral palsy(no speech, in a wheelchair, and on a feeding tube), I can tell you that it is the girls with reactive attachment disorder that are harder to parent.  This is not a made up disability and your assessment of the Ukraine mother is dead wrong.  RAD is considered serious mental illness.  How many children with RAD have you brought into your home?  Go adopt one and then get back to us on how well your doing with it..  I think you might find yourself changing your attitude.  Until you've walked a mile....  

Who ever said this child from UKRAINE was a RAD kid anyway? Dr Phil even had trouble believing it and expressed it as such. You might want to play the  disorder activiist part and that is fine but I am am right on with my Asssessment. Some parents use their children and and it doesnt appear you know much about that side of the issue, or even seem to recognize it even happens. You are JUST going to  believe EVERY PARENT that brings up a mental illness diagnosised child and jump on it like a ambulance chaser. Some mothers either by muchousins or some other  self serving mental disorder just make it up, and if you didnt see her talk about only her  interesets than you missed the show. And for her to describe her daughter the way she did without anybody ELSE seeing any of her daughter is asking  too much from any kind of audience to make a welll informed decision on the Ukranian girl.  And to  have to believe only what the mother is saying is asking a audience to judge one side of the story only. I judged the mother to be too shelfish period and havent seen or heard from the daughter so i and  even you dont know if she is RAD  or anything else because you or I didnt see any thing more than a small clip which isnt enough to go on. All anybody got from that part of The show is a one sided story from what I guarantee is a very shelfish lady. Never mind mother or type of mother or type of child she CLAIMS she is raising. It looks more like the child has a DUTY to RAISE her. 

 

Anyway, these unanswered questions is how  is how dr.phil gets these message boards so hot. He leaves one side of story out and leaves that up to his audience to battle over. Like you and me.. This mother is what she is period. I wont even talk about the child other than what she must be going through because of it. And all you talk about is RAD. You got to see the  kid to know that and you havent and if you want to  take the  believe everything you hear route, go ahead., but dont borher me with that approach because it is too shallow for me to bother with. Sorry , but I know A phoney when I see a phoney. And I hope this phoney doesnt take anything away from  REAL (boy and that word just kills some people) Mothers of RAD or otherwise dependant children but if you couldnt see this lady for what """SHE"" REALLY is Then that is on you .

 

On RAD,, just like adhd, autism, and other issues sometimes the parents cant bond like this mother of Ukranian girl. Maybe the mother grew up  with a  cold  parent and is looking for love from the child. It happens ALL THE time. If you read the rest of my messages you might have noticed that .It goes both ways, beliveve it or not, but do parents ever  get  diagnosed as ill. NO.Never. So answer that question as to why not, if you know so much. Lot more to these issues that dont get told to you  that do exist none the less. I am sorry you choose to live in your bubble ,and again, let OTHER people tell you what  illnesses are like.It almost makes me think maybe there are beneficiariers that come out  of these sick children.NEVER  any directed at the children though i have  truly noticed.Politics and money. Some message  for another day.  Some of these cases are literaally  MISDIAGNOSED and we never hear anything about it. Do you have the answer as to why? I do. Good P.R. brings in the money. Never mind if it isnt accurate .And with Liberalism, women get attached not to their children but to the (I am A) victim mentality. Turn activist for their OWN good only. Yup . Welcome to America.Spolied women and rich  medical industries, On the backs off suffering children this time .If it isnt free labor from blacks or cheap labor from illegals    it will be the children that pay the price. It is a called capitolism. Some call it democracy . The result is always the same . A victim and a person who capitolizes on it. ALWAYS. Some things in America Just never change . Hate to venture that far around this issue but it is all RELATED when you do the math.  Some mothers just like to take advantage of children believe it or not and this case looks like one of them. (victim syndrome) (dont know what they call it that in the medical disabled section, but I do know it EXISTS )..Again, not all  mothers who make claims are 100% corrrect. You might want to take another look at this one. All mothers arent victims. And ALL claims arent authentic. Fake ones like this one make the real ones look bad. You should be writing this mother and not me, that is where you anger should go, if it was to go in the right place,But that takes work you would have to do and  playing a victim would only get in the way.    

 
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April 3, 2008, 2:38 am PDT

tired of being a mom?

Is it you would rather be doing somethig else or just not much of anything else.Television just too attractive? 40-60 hour work week better? What alternative are you looking for to being a mom? Dr.Phil should do a show on dads tired of being dad's especilally for the ones who only pay child support. But then men would be victims too, and then there wouldn't be anybody left to blame when women wanted to be victims.Oh well it was worth a try.
 
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April 3, 2008, 5:59 am PDT

There is hope and help

I too found out the hard way about RAD, as I have a 15 year old and I also was let down by therapist that didn't have a clue.  We were told by a therapist to just take her home and love her.  well I am here to tell you, that no amount of love can resolve this.  Granted you have to be willing to share your love but you must be in control all the time.  First thing is to read Nancy Thomas book " When Love Is Not Enough."  Then get to a camp for RAD.  I did 4 years ago and have since decided that it is the best thing I have ever witnessed to help you understand and counter all the things you encounter.  Then find a motivational respite ptovider to take up the slack when you need a break.  There are some really good ones who have trained under Nancy.  Then while the child is away, you need to rest and regroup and get ready for the child's return.   Believe me my daughter is not cured but life is tolerable and we do have some fun together now. 

 
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April 3, 2008, 6:40 am PDT

FOOLED

If you no a lot about a RAD child. Then you should know that a RAD child will act sweet and loving around strangers to make MOM look DUMB and that she does not know what she is talking about, because I am just sweet and loving and she needs to go to pschotherapist. The girl got what she wanted YOU ALL fell for her act you are talking bad about mom and saying how sweet she is. If you have RAD kids then you have to hear from strangers your child is so SWEET!!! The whole time your thinking I want to go insane!! Am I right or wrong? Because I know that is how it is here with my child. We go to church and she is so sweet and we get home or away from everyone and then she tortues me. You tell me that is not happened to you before?
 
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April 3, 2008, 7:53 am PDT

03/25 Tired of Being a Mom

Quote From: yoshiyoshi

That's good. Usually the bully isn't admonished for their behaviour, because they're highly manipulative. They will claim the person they were bullying actually was the one bullying them.
Like I said before, their still young, and telling on someone for doing something wrong is still ok, its when he gets older i sometime worry for him,
 

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