Avoid Oasis Center Involvement with Your Troubled Teenger

Those of us who are experiencing extreme problems with a teenager look desperately for help--there are times when we'd grab almost any helping hand just to get our Teen to revert to the loving, adorable person they used to be. But beware of the assistance offered by the Oasis Center of Nashville.

In her early years, with a mentally and physically ill mother and always working father, our daughter (my step) rarely heard the word "NO" at home. She could follow the rules everywhere else--but at home, even as a youngster, she refused to follow the rules. What did she do when her mother gave her a direct order? She ran out the front door and stayed in the neighborhood until she decided to return home. Her first runaway was at 8 years old. By 13 (the age of her mother's death and her father's meeting the new step a few months later), she recognized no authority in the home. She was a good student, a good athlete, overall a good kid--bright, with a vivacious personality. And at 15, she decided she absolutely would NOT live under rules of the house. She refused to do chores; began a pattern of behavior that included lying, stealing, deceit of all kinds, sneaking boys in the house when we weren't home, and on and on. Eventually, she erupted, got in my face, and then SHE started making false police reports, against both her father and me. So, she ended up at Oasis Center. BAD MISTAKE. VERY BAD MISTAKE. You see, we were under the (false) impression that Oasis Center support was for the FAMILY. WRONG. Oasis Center counselors can see no further than their noses. She could follow their rules, as well as the rules at school (duh--we had already told them that!), so they refused to believe she was deceitful and disobedient and disruptive at home. Uh.. what part of "she's this way at home" do you think they failed to understand???? ALL of it!