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Sat 2 Oct, 2004 08:40 am
I'm having trouble finding legal information on this and hope someone can point me in the right direction. I just need to know what's legal and what's not here in the state of Kentucky.
Here's a little background:
We live in a three bedroom apartment right now, and with our financial situation it is not impossible to move. We have a 14 yr old boy, a 12 (nearly 13) yr old girl, and a 9 year old boy. The boys have had to share a room and this is a HUGE problem: The older boy is extremely violent and destructive. Their room has literally been torn to pieces, and now our younger son is suffering the same fate. The treatment he recieves from his older brother is hellish. We have had the 14 yr old in every treatment program there is, reported the behavior to everyone we can think of, but there is nothing any athorities can or will do untill there is serious injury.
Obviously, we don't want it to go that far.
We are considering moving the girl in with the 14 yr old as a possible solutioin. There are many issues here, but the focus is on saftey - our daughter is rather large and athletic, being just about the same size as the older boy. It seems like this arrangement could help keep the 9 yr old out of the hospital. Any questions, suggestions or comments are welcome.
Thanks
Forgive my frankness but with you 14 year old son being so out of control, moving your daughter in with him may pose another problem altogether.
I'm thinking eoe is right.
I guess I would think about moving the 9 year old in with his sister before I would go the other way.
Or move him into your room.
Or find a bigger apartment in a cheaper neighborhood.
I'm glad to hear that your son is receiving treatment. Have you talked to his doctor about this room situation?
It would seem to me, that until you can get some input from a doctor/treater, it would be best if the older boy was in the same room as the parents, and that each of the other children get their own room.
Your children all need to be safe, and you're responsible to ensure it.
I agree that the 14 year old should not share a room with his sister.
You say:
Quote:We have had the 14 yr old in every treatment program there is, reported the behavior to everyone we can think of, but there is nothing any athorities can or will do untill there is serious injury.
Physical abuse of a sibling and damage to a room that may result in the family being evicted from an apartment sound to me as though institutional treatment may be necessary.
Your notion of shuffling the 14 year old's roommates says to me that you are trying to adjust your family to the kid rather than working on adjusting the kid to the family and the rest of the real world.
I think you need to look into institutional mental health problems before the DA's office is looking into juvenile incarceration.
Remember, "good" children should not be forced to suffer because of their brother's behavior.
Good luck.