This is a comment from two years ago when Clint visited this sub. put things in perspective made me sit back and rethink what I’ve been saying, acting like I somehow know better than his actual father, ranting about how he should parent josh when really I’m just talking out my ass.
“wow, I just read all of this. Wished I wouldn't have, but alas.
I won't spend time trying to address every judgement, because I don't feel the need to go there. It is very easy to sit back and watch and think you know a situation. It's an entirely different ball game to live it.
I have started to type multiple responses to the assumptions directed at my parenting. Every time I start, I end up typing for 15 minute and I'm barely scratching the surface. The truth is, I would be typing for hours if I tried to respond to it all.
To summarize, you simply have no idea what it's like to raise someone with mental illness unless you have done it. Do you know what it's like to teach someone who can't/won't learn? Do you know what it's like to spend every minute of every day in a state of constant conflict? Every minute of every day is a battle. Everything you say is challenged or causes a blow up. Everything you THINK you know about parenting is thrown out the window because NOTHING, NOTHING fucking works. Every single type of discipline, reward, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, NOTHING changes the behavior. Sometimes, you have a break through, sometimes something has a desired effect and you have hope. Then the next day it's all gone again. You're back to square one.
Daily lectures on hygiene, temper control, picking up cigarettes off the street and smoking them. He does this even when he has cigarettes by the way. I tried buying him cigarettes for a while so that he would stop, and he still did it.
Am I a perfect parent? NO. Not even close. Have I made mistakes with Josh? Absolutely. Do I wish I would have done some things different? Definitely. However, he is an adult. I can try to help him all I want, if he refuses to accept it, then there is nothing I can do.
Whoever said that I do just enough to make myself feel good. I'd be lying if I didn't say there was some truth to that. When he moved out, there was a large part of me that felt a HUGE sense of relief. "He's an adult, he's moved out, he's on his own, I don't have to deal with this anymore." No more spending 16 hours a day in survival mode. No more spending 16 hours a day walking on eggshells, trying to figure out what to say, how to say, how to teach, how to parent. He's an adult, society will deal with him now and I don't have to.
With those feelings come the even stronger feelings of guilt. This is my son, he will always be my responsibility, I can't abandon him. I know he won't make it. And, you can't even imagine the guilt of having a child with Mental Illness. The thought in this country that, if there is something wrong with the child, then they have bad parents. And how many times my wife and I have blamed ourselves and scolded ourselves and just hated ourselves.
Now he's and adult, and when I try to get more involved in his life, he blocks me from his life. Try to get him to brush his teeth, get blocked. Try to get him to take a shower, get blocked. Lecture him about health risks of picking up cigarettes and smoking them, get blocked. Try to get him to a counselor, get blocked. Try to get him on meds, get blocked. Talk to him about cleaning his apartment, get blocked. Do any parenting what-so-ever, get blocked. The more I try to help, the more I get pushed away.
Ugh! You could never possibly understand unless you've lived it.
However, this is NOT about me. I did not come here to get attention. I did not come here to try and justify myself, or my parenting. I did not come here because I want anyone feeling sorry for me or Josh. I am not looking for sympathy. I came here because someone said that this site was dedicated to harassing Josh and they were going to shut down his wands if they could. So, as RITETOWRITE pointed out, I came in here attacking. It didn't take me long to realize that RITETOWRITE was correct, it was the people in here who bought his wands, and you weren't trying to stop the wands, you were supporting them. I was mistaken.
Every year for 25 years I think, "ok, this is the year. Josh is going to grow out of it." I live on this hope. When he finally decided to start doing the wands, I thought "YES" this is it. It's going to work. He will do something productive and positive and evolve. He will gain self respect and begin to care about his life. So, I got a bit worked up when someone said this group would sabotage it.
Please do not send me messages of sympathy, or tell me I'm a great dad or anything like that. It's NOT about that, and that's NOT why I'm here. When you have a child like Josh, you get judged everyday from everyone who you interact with including family and friends. And, please don't take this wrong, but I sincerely don't care if anyone on the internet thinks I'm a bad parent. They have not lived my life and have no idea. And, I'm NOT a great dad NOR am I a bad parent. I'm just a dad. Just like every other parent. I try to do my best, sometimes I succeed sometimes I fail. It's just life. We all have our own circumstances, our own successes and failures and triumphs and hardships, positives and negatives and we all simply do the best we can with what we are given. That's all any of us can do. Me, Josh, you, we just do our best and try to get through this thing called life. And yes, MrRoxo is correct. Sometimes I do just enough to feel like I'm doing something even though I know I should do more. I'm only human.
Unfortunately, I can't be Josh's nanny. I can't get him up everyday at 8:00, make him take a shower, brush his teeth, put on clean clothes, eat a healthy breakfast, take his meds, etc. etc. He's an adult and lives on his own. That all ended the day he moved out.
AND PLEASE stop with the Mlord bullshit. I see people complaining about his narcissistic behaviors. I wonder where he developed the idea that people worship him???????
As to the dog collar, who cares?? I hate it, I think it looks ridiculous, and when this trend started I fought with him on it daily, but it doesn't effect me in one bit. Who cares if he wears a dog collar? The only person it has an effect on his him.
As to the person commenting on his shitty guitar playing, fuck you! I will always encourage it, I don't care how bad it is. It's healthy and productive and an outlet for his depression and anxiety. I wish he would play more.
Shit! I wasn't planning on writing a book. I wanted to keep this brief, but alas, there you have it.”