Wit’s End: Advice and Resources for Saving Your Out-of-Control Teen

Sue Scheff
HCI (2008)
ISBN 9780757306976
Reviewed by Danelle Drake for Reader Views (9/08)

 

Newborn children do not come with a guide, sure wish they did.  We place the precious cargo into the car-seat, take it home, and do the best we can.  Regardless of family background, household demographic or income, there is nobody who lives the perfect life.  Although we all want the best for our children, and do what we can, sometimes things don’t go as planned.  If our children become out-of-control, use drugs or drink alcohol, participate in sexual acts, or become violent, we don’t always know how to react.  We try what we can, but sometimes we find ourselves at wit’s end, submerged in guilt and angry at both our child and ourselves. 

If you are a parent with an out-of-control child seeking alternatives and information, “Wit’s End” can be your light at the end of the tunnel.  Step-by-step information will help you choose the right program for your child’s needs, ways to seek financial assistance, and information about Parents’ Universal Resources Experts (P.U.R.E.) that will help you gain the tools you need to make the decisions you are faced with.

I do admit that I was skeptical when I first began reading the book.  How could someone just send their child away when they really needed you?  When your child was away, troubled, are you sure they are getting the care they need?  After reading the challenges and brutally honest account of Sue and more-importantly, her daughter Ashlyn, you realize what courage and strength it takes for a parent to make the decision that could change their child’s life forever.  Because of Sue’s lack of knowledge at the time she was going through this terror with her child, she did not always know where to turn and her child suffered because of it.  We learn from the decisions she made.  Ashlyn is an amazing young person that understands her mother did not intentionally place her in a situation where she, as well as her mother, would loose control.  They both weathered the storm and came away wishing to fight for each young person that could ever face the same situation and guide them to a better resolution. 

“Wit’s End” by Sue Scheff is both informative and enlightening.  Regardless of the situation, something good can come of it.

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