Did anyone watch "Brat Camp" last night?

[vettechick99]

Total for Tuition and Gear Fees: $22,440.00

Shoot, it's a lot less than a new car which depreciates in value as soon as you drive it off the lot. I'd downgrade my car or get a loan if I had to. If it helps as it's supposed to, it's worth 10 times that.

 

[cats7494]

I watched the show too - my dd11 watched it with me as well. She could not believe the behavior!
Similar to another poster's child - she asked me if I would send her there and I said yes... if she started to behave like these kids. She was not too surprised at my answer.

I was upset by the boy with ADHD as well... mainly with his parents! He needs meds and they are the parents and need to make sure he gets them! It will make such a huge improvement in his life! (I know this from experience - with a family member)

I would imagine that one of the factors for the parents letting their kids on the show is that the show maybe pays for the tuition? It is expensive and they want to help their kids and this is an option?

 

[BabyTigger99]

Anyone know if they are going to replay this episode? I had to work late and forgot to set the DVR.

 

[DemonLlama]

I am curious as to how the parents of the 14 y.o. ADHD kid should force his meds? Hold him down and make him swallow? Is there an injection they can use so all they need do is wrestle him to the ground twice a day?

I guess my point is, like an eating issue, "making" someone take meds is very difficult. Had they acted like parents from the beginning, rather than worrying about their kid not "liking" them I don't think they'd be in the situation now, but now that they are at this point, how do you force it?

The outdoor effort and activity and cleansing of their systems of sugar are two homeopathic ways to treat ADHD, so I'm not as worried about his medical condition as some other posters.

Jada the compulsive liar is exactly like a girl I went to school with. All drama, no integrity. She won't even admit to herself that she lies, it's become so second nature to her.

Some of them, like Lindsay, seem very open now to the inner changes. She went from trying to get out the door to sharing her experience of molestation within a week. That's huge progress.

Other kids will take a whole lot more time. Did you notice how some of them were barely mentioned last night in the second half? Last night's show really only gave us story arcs for three girls (Lindsay, Jada, and the girl who lost her father), the one violent/attitude guy and the ADHD kid. The other four weren't showcased much.

 

[roger_ramjet]

I missed the last hour of this but it looked quite interesting. I like the focus of this show, in spite of the initial theatrics - actually taking people and truly helping them (as opposed to shows which focus on superficialities and competition) change the way they act. I'll probably keep a bit of an eye on this. If nothing else it'll make parents realise what happens when they allow children a free hand - they'll take it further than many parents could imagine.

 

[Pinnie]

ITA! I have been teaching for 29 years and I get so upset when a parent of a kindergarten child tells me. "I don't know what to do! He/She just won't listen to me!" My answer is to "Get control now because you won't have it when the child is 15!"

I attended an interesting workshop on ADHD and the Nurtured Heart Approach and it professes that ADHD can be treated withOUT meds. I am not sure that it true 100% of the time, but the approach has some interesting ideas.

pinnie

 

[cats7494]

I am curious as to how the parents of the 14 y.o. ADHD kid should force his meds? Hold him down and make him swallow? Is there an injection they can use so all they need do is wrestle him to the ground twice a day?

I guess my point is, like an eating issue, "making" someone take meds is very difficult. Had they acted like parents from the beginning, rather than worrying about their kid not "liking" them I don't think they'd be in the situation now, but now that they are at this point, how do you force it?

The outdoor effort and activity and cleansing of their systems of sugar are two homeopathic ways to treat ADHD, so I'm not as worried about his medical condition as some other posters.

Jada the compulsive liar is exactly like a girl I went to school with. All drama, no integrity. She won't even admit to herself that she lies, it's become so second nature to her.

Some of them, like Lindsay, seem very open now to the inner changes. She went from trying to get out the door to sharing her experience of molestation within a week. That's huge progress.

Other kids will take a whole lot more time. Did you notice how some of them were barely mentioned last night in the second half? Last night's show really only gave us story arcs for three girls (Lindsay, Jada, and the girl who lost her father), the one violent/attitude guy and the ADHD kid. The other four weren't showcased much.

Because you start when the child is young and do not let it get out of control by the time he is 14. You give the 14 year old consequencs for not taking his meds that he will not like. That is up to the parents to determine what that would be...each child varies. I worked in a psychiatric hospital for 10 years and that is what you have to do. Consequences for behavior and sticking to it!! Simple as that.

 

[rigs32]

Anyone else notice that all the kids were white and seemed to come from middle class or wealthy families?

I agree with the posters who mentioned the parents are partially to blame. 40 days in the wilderness will wash away if mom and dad don't continue to be strict when they get home.

 

[Feralpeg]

I knew a kid in high school who went through a program like this. Prior, he was always in trouble. He spent more time in the office than in the classroom. He stole things and picked fights. There were definately some issues at home. His parents went through a very ugly divorce and I'm sure a lot of his behavior was a result, but he definately needed help. The camp made a huge difference in this kid. He said it took being so physically uncomfortable for him to break down the wall of hatred to examine what was really going on. After his experience with the camp, he planned on becoming a youth advocate upon graduation.

I am so glad there are programs like this available to help these kids.

 

[mum4jenn]

The show had to be a fraud because there was no way legally that parents could fool their kids into appearing on a TV show without their approval. I suspect that they were all actors playing a role.

Though each of the kids remined me of children that I know in my home town. The teenage years are tough for both kids and adults!

I don't think this is a fraud at all. Of course the kids were hamming it up for the cameras at first but that started to change later on in the show. The parents gave their permission and if you watched all of the show the kids had things to fill out and sign also. They only showed it for one girl who sat there for several hours before she gave up and signed.

I would be curious to know more about the parents...such as how many hours do they work outside the home etc. I know they showed one parent that was talking about (I think Jadas Dad) she was always asking for money...$50 here and $100 there. I am guessing they are all well off but if they are just handing out money to these kids left and right and not having them being accountable for it that is part of the problem. I would also imagine that these parents have not been very involved with their childrens lives and don't put down very many rules in order to be their "friend".

 

[Queen Quinnella]

I have a chid who is ADD (not ADHD) he has been on ritalin since kindergarten (he just finished 9th grade). But we took him off of it in November of last year because, he is/was so small that his Dr. was concerned about his growth. He was only 4' 9", only weighed 80 pounds and was only in the very earliest stages of puberty. The Dr. wanted to send him to a pediatric endocrinologist. But since we live in a small town we could not find one. And there was none on our insurance. So we took him off of the ritalin. Since then, he has grown 7 inches and gained 28 pounds. His grades are not as good as they used to be and there are days that I just want to ship him off but there comes a time when you just cannot keep them medicated and they must learn how to control their behavior on their own.
So for the family of the ADHD kid they said at the beginning that the kid quit taking the meds because he wanted to grow. I find that acceptable because of our situation, BUT...they sould have set boundaries for behavior and rules that he had to follow. This camp maybe the best thing for him in learning to control himself without the medication.

 

[SillyMe]

I have a chid who is ADD (not ADHD) he has been on ritalin since kindergarten (he just finished 9th grade). But we took him off of it in November of last year because, he is/was so small that his Dr. was concerned about his growth. He was only 4' 9", only weighed 80 pounds and was only in the very earliest stages of puberty. The Dr. wanted to send him to a pediatric endocrinologist. But since we live in a small town we could not find one. And there was none on our insurance. So we took him off of the ritalin. Since then, he has grown 7 inches and gained 28 pounds. His grades are not as good as they used to be and there are days that I just want to ship him off but there comes a time when you just cannot keep them medicated and they must learn how to control their behavior on their own.
So for the family of the ADHD kid they said at the beginning that the kid quit taking the meds because he wanted to grow. I find that acceptable because of our situation, BUT...they sould have set boundaries for behavior and rules that he had to follow. This camp maybe the best thing for him in learning to control himself without the medication.

That was the reason the boy on the show stopped taking his medication. I remember the mom saying that he wanted to grow. He's 14 and looks like he's alot younger.

 

[Martha7]

I also noticed that the parents seemed to be on the older side, and the dads were kind of meek types. I agree with everyone else who said that it appears that these parents never stepped in when it was needed! I did think the counselor names were kind of hokey...honestly, "Glacier", etc. I guess he's the guy who can keep his cool, but as my DH pointed out, he didn't seem too composed when that one girl made for the door!

 

[pooh6890]

Geez, where is Tom Cruise when you need him?

 

[Martha7]

So right, Pooh!

 

[3gr8kids]

All I can say is that this is what happens to kids who should have been on Supernanny 10 years before. They go from unmanageable 5-yr olds to disrespectful 16-yr olds who lie, cheat, drink, steal, sleep around....

A good dose of structure and discipline will really help these kids...especially that 14-year old ADHD boy. You can tell his mother and father don't have a clue and aren't hard on him at all. I think he'll turn out great by the end of the show. His behavior shows he is begging for structure.

But I won't lay total blame on the parents..sometimes parents do all they can and kids just take the wrong track.

ITA

I believe rules and consequences have to be established (and consistently adhered to!!) very early in a child's life.

I thought it was an interesting show and I will probably keep watching to see any progress.

~ Karla

 

[goofy4tink]

I also thought the kids were laying it on a bit thick for those 'pre-camp' videos. But, once they got to the camp their reactions were much more realistic. As an older, been there done that, and doing it yet again parent, I have to say that being your child's buddy is the worst disservice you can do to your child. He/she will have plenty of buddies but, God willing, only two parents. And they need both those parents to set bounderies and limits..with consequences for stepping over the line. You can't start when they are 12 or 13...has to be from the cradle. I have 3 kids...ds is 32, dd is 29 and dd (at home) is almost 12. The 29 y/o could have used SageWalk when she was younger. A child of divorce, with not a lot of money coming in....her dad a good time buddy on the week-end handing out no discipline at all. Well, she ended up going cross country, selling magazines, door to door!!! Yep, we sure were proud. God only knows what drugs she did or who she spent nights with. But, she was 'of age' and there was nothing we could do. Thank heaven she has gotten her act together. But, she readily admits to needing a 'crack upside the head' when she was younger. I let her get away with way too much since her dad and I had divorced. And she paid the price later on.

So, these kids, as well as their families, are getting a wake-up call. Hopefullly, the parents have seen their part in their children's problems. I realize that one girl was molested but have to wonder if it was addressed when it occurred. Or the poor kid who's dad died. You have to wonder how that was handled. I'm not saying that these parents knowingly did anything wrong. Parenting is, without a doubt, the hardest job in the world. Most of these kids seem to be at heart, pretty decent kids. They have just lost their way. Hopefully these guides, with their somewhat bizarre names, can lead them back to normalcy. They need to realize that there are consequences for every action. And they have to accept responsibility for their actions. Seems a lot of these kids have not been made to see that. And that's a hard thing for a parent to do....allow their child to fail because they didn't do what should have been done. We need to stop making excuses for our kids. Let the pieces fall where they will if little Suzie doesn't do her homework or forgets to bring her band instrument to school. Her problem, not ours. Once they reach an age where it's normal to take responsibility, they should. And that age is not 15.....that would be too late. And I think the end results of that kind of behavior is what we are seeing on this show. I'm eager to see how these kids work it all out.
Sorry for the ranting...this is a real sore spot for me.

 

[cats7494]

I do have a problem with the name of the show. I know they have to make it sound exciting to get viewers...but these kids are not brats.

Many have deep emotional problems - death of a parent, abandonment issues, molestation, ADHD, etc...not exactly "brat" issues!
I just find it sad really.

 

[momm2four]

TV Guide had an article on this show. The article had some interesting information. I especially liked #10. I think it helped made the show more authentic.

Taken directly from TV Guide: (I didn't type the entire article, just what I thought was the gist)

1)Wilderness Therapy Isn't Boot Camp : ....unlike boot camp, says executive director....there's no yelling or abuse.

2)It's Not Cheap : A 30-day stay costs about $12000; 60 days, about $20000. "We get folks who mortgage their homes and max out their credit cards to do this." (ABC paid the for the nine Brat Campers)

3) Some Parent's Can't Handle Taking Their Kids to Sagewalk : Parents who feel overwhelmed can hire an escort service specializing in transporting troubled teens to counseling programs.

4) The Kids Like Those Earth Names : ...Once they complete a solo expedition, the kids get earth names, too.....Our polls say it's what the kids enjoy the most"

5)The Food Really Sucks : ...when you remove sugar from the body, it's going to have some effect-most of it good...

6)These Kids are Bad, Not Evil

7)Sagewalk is Just The First Step :About 85% of the 30-day students continue working on their issues in therapeutic boarding schools.

8)No Talking to the Camera Crew was Allowed : except when the kids were interviewed away from Sagewalk therapists...

9)Brat Camp's Producer Has a History With Troubled Teens : Shapiro made the groundbreaking '78 TV docum. "Scared Straight"....

10)ABC Didn't Choose the Kids : Unlike on other reality shows, the network didn't have final say on the cast-SageWalk wanted to stick to using actual applicants. ....

Lori P.

 

[johnruuu]

All I can say is... WOW

I only watched about an hour and a half of the show but those kids scared me.

My DH and I are trying for children now but after watching that show I am thinking twice (j/k). Seriously though, the parents seemed to be pretty good and makes me wonder how their children turned out that way.

I wish there was some money back guarantee that my future children won't be that bad.

Watched the entire show with DD (12) who, thus far, is a complete innocent angel compared to ANY of those kids in the show. The 14 Y/O who lately had refused to take his medicine for ADHD could have developed into one of the scariest.