UPDATE First critique of the mother's story here. "You are NOT Adam Lanza's Mother." And a second hit here from someone who has perused the woman's full blog.
Earlier: Possibly the blog post that has gone most viral in past 12 hours comes from a mom who worries that her own gifted but troubled son, age 13, could grow up to do something like Adam Lanza has done. In fact, she titles it, "I am Adam Lanza's Mother," though she could have used, "We Need to Talk About Michael." One excerpt: "A few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books."
Some raised questions about its credibility at the start--the mother blogs as "The Anarchist Soccer Mom"--but then it was published at a site affiliated with Boise State University, and other places, and the woman's name and background was included. It's quite detailed (and honest and wrenching). Others are reprinting with permission, as Huff Post does here.
No one wants to send a 13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, "Something must be done."
I agree that something must be done. It's time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. That's the only way our nation can ever truly heal."God help me. God help Michael. God help us all."
Greg Mitchell is the author of more than a dozen books on politics, history, nuclear issues, capital punishment and media. His latest, on the Obama-Romney battle, is Tricks, Lies, and Videotape.
5 comments:
She actually didn't title it "I am Adam Lanza's Mother" - some editor on a site that re-posted it did that. her original title on her own blog was "Thinking the Unthinkable" which puts it all in perspective.
She actually didn't title it "I am Adam Lanza's Mother" - some editor on a site that re-posted it did that. her original title on her own blog was "Thinking the Unthinkable" which puts it all in perspective.
I must admit, I felt the same thing when I heard about the shooting. My son is very intelligent but has great difficulty controlling his rages. He has been on medication since he was 5 and, although he has struggled mightily with behavioral issues since kindergarten (all in the same school system)we still have no IEP (Individualized Education Plan). He will be 13 in January.I homeschooled him last year just to prove that he was capable of better grades than the D's and F's he was receiving. He was. I have been wondering what will happen when he turns 18. He's already taller than me by 6 inches. He has been in outpatient treatment for suicidal threats and said it was like hell. I wonder if the main lesson he learned was, whatever he was feeling, not to talk about it or write it down.
Holy crap, lock the kid up already. What kind of shitty kid tried to stab his family. I used to be a high IQ brat who thought he could do shitty things like defraud cancer research walkathons, and guess what, my mom busted me and I had to go to juvie for a bit. Yes it pissed me off beyond imagination, but sitting in a room being bored to death is exactly what I needed at the time. Now I know the difference between right and wrong. Thanks mom. Less destructive drugs for shitty kids, more time to think and learn about consequences please.
Reply to Petar, it is not that simple. We live with a child that has been diagnosed with Intermittent Explosive Disorder, he has beaten and attacked, his mother (twice with a knife), his grandmother, his little brother, his father, his step mother. He has also gone after teachers and repeatedly hurts himself.
We have been fighting with the system to get proper help and care for him. They will not do anything. no one is equipped or willing to step in. The police say that charges will not stick because of his state of mind. It is a living nightmare that no one will wake up from until he does something so horrendous that they can no longer look the other way, but it will be too late. Who will they blame then?
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