Advice for Parents

Mom: Well, I’ve developed a really warped sense a humor, which really helps. I exercise everyday, not a lot, but I force myself with Cody because when you take a lot of medication, well I know he’s gained fifty pounds in one year and he’s only grown a couple of inches. And the medications do make you gain a lot of weight, but on the other hand I would still rather, and I believe he feels the same way, he’d rather have the excess weight than go through the problems of his anger and having no friends. So, the recommendation, what I would say is that if you can exercise with you child that’s the best of both worlds, that helps both of you.

Cody: I’d say don’t take it personally whatever your kid does. It’s just that they’re feeling really bad inside. They’re not doing it to you, but they’re doing it just because they’re kids and because they’re depressed.

Mom: The first thing I had to realize was that I couldn’t take it personally at all, because if I took to heart some of the things that he called me and some of the things that he did to me, I would have been a wreck. So, I think that you have to really realize that they’re hurting so much and they’re so desperate that you just have to tolerant, calm, and I don’t believe in ever yelling because when you yell it just increases their rage and it’s the worst thing to do. So, you have got to almost be superhumanly calm and then that will bring them back down out of a rage.