Lord, give her peace
Saturday around noon, we received an unexpected phone call from the facility. It wasn't our daughters day to have phone privileges. The staff member told me that our daughter had been involved in an altercation with another girl. My first question was whether it was physical or not. I was told that it was verbal only and the two had been separated by staff before it got physical. The lady on the phone told me that she was allowing our daughter to call us to help her calm down.
When our daughter came on the phone, she said that she hated the facility and begged us to move her anyplace but there. We asked her what had happened between her and the girl she was fighting with. She said that there was only one girl in her unit that was nice to her and all the other girls hated her. She said that a girl told the staff that our daughter was "dating" the girl that she was friends with and this caused her friend to get transferred. Our daughter told us that she went to ask the girl who made the report why she had done so and the fight started. She then asked us to get her out of the facility again. We told her that we felt it was best for her to follow through with the 30 days as was recommended by the clinical staff. Our daughter then went from an attitude of crying and begging to having an attitude with us. She said that we didn't care about her and that if she developed any bad habits from her stay there, it would be our fault. She said that the place was not helping her and that the other girls in her unit hated her. She continued to have an attitude with us and began to get a little belligerent. We told her that we had questioned the staff as to why she had not yet received any "one on one" therapy and were told that they were short staffed. They advised us that her therapy would begin the following week. Our daughter continued to say that the facility was no help to her and she couldn't believe we planned to just leave her there. I told her that the 30 day stay was a consequence of her actions and we had to do what we felt necessary to ensure she was safe. She continued to say that we didn't care about her, then said her time was up and abruptly got off the phone.
Today, around 2 pm we received a phone call from our daughter. She was a little more calm and still said she hated it there. We told her that we were sending her some letters in the mail and she would be getting them soon. She said that there was no fighting going on currently between her and the other girls in the unit. We let her speak to her brother and sister briefly before her phone time was up. She spoke with us a bit longer and said her time was up. We told her that we loved and missed her, then she hung up.
This season in our lives is extremely difficult, I have never had one of my children cry and beg me to get them out of a situation and not be able to do so. I would do anything for any one of my 5 children and it breaks my heart to have my hands tied like this. I hope that through this difficult journey, my wife and I will one day be able to come along side other parents and help them walk through a similar situation. We have much to learn still and we are thankful to have the support of family and friends.
Lord, although we are walking in a difficult situation, I thank you for being with us. We draw strength from you, we know that your plans are precise and your timing perfect. We know that all thing happen, according to your will. Lord, help our daughter to manage the issues she is facing. Help her to gat along with the girls who she says hate her and keep her safe. In Jesus name, Amen.