Sounds, Sleep, Silence

It's been another sleepless night.  My son can't sleep; he's worried about school.  I can't blame him, so I stay awake with him, reassuring him it will be alright.

My oldest son is the victim of bullying

It has cost us many many sleepless nights, and now that school has started again, it's reign of terror has begun it's haunting path.  Again.

In our case, it has been the school and counselor who has tortured me and my son the most.

How?

Last Spring my son was questioned for hours by a counselor for hours, alone, because she saw his isolated behavior as anti-social and "suicidal".

He was being bullied by big kids... a problem that was well-known in the school by myself and many of my son's friends... but my son was questioned alone, interrogated by an adult who kept asking leading questions that finally forced them to call my house after school was over, because he was so emotionally distraught.  I was "asked" to come get my son and take him to the ER to have him evaluated by the Crisis Intervention Unit, just to make sure he was in fact, not suicidal.

I was told by a school counselor, "he has a plan to kill himself".

My nine year old has a plan to kill himself?

I had three other children at home, and my spouse was at work with the NJSP... and my nine year old son had a plan to kill himself?  Are you INSANE?

"Your son has been cutting himself".  A case of self-injury?  Does she KNOW what self-injury looks like?

My son cut himself with a pocket-knife, playing army with his friends.  Boys play army... at least MY boys do.  My sons have bruises all over them... cuts and scratches, too.  Not one was a "hesitation" mark or self-injury mark; and not once was the school nurse called-in to evaluate my son's body to confirm this school counselor's assessment of this situation.

Instead, she called the state authorities, and voiced her strong opinion based on her educated guess and my son's emotional reaction to HER response.  I took my son the the ER, sat for four hours, was seen by a social worker for five minutes, and was discharged soon after with an apology  saying,  "the woman at the school should not have reacted as such".  I knew that the moment I saw my son's face in the guidance counselor's office.  Fine guidance at an elementary level.  We have yet to receive a written apology from the "counselor" and/or principal. 

It's 5:33am  My son finally fell asleep.  Today will be his third day of school.

My response?

My website.

There is Abuse... there is Neglect... and there is Ignorance.

All three require Education.

For the sake of misunderstood children affected by traumatic events, I want  PPL to be a starting-point....a place where people can learn the difference between normal reactions to  stress versus signs that indicate there is a much bigger problem.  After all I have been through in my life, there has not been anything scarier than some ill-informed "professional" mis-label my child, all because she didn't take the time to check her facts before making a call to "state authorities" for further intervention.