By NANCY STOOPS
Nancy Stoops M.A., M.F.T Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with her certified therapy dog Midnight.
I have worked with many families that have had children on probation. This can cause a lot of stress on the entire family.
There can be many responsibilities that go along with probation, depending on the crime. I have usually found that there seems to be some sort of private or group counseling, parent education, and community service required pretty globally. In addition, anger management, drug and/or alcohol counseling, and perhaps some sort of weekend work program could be required. It is also important that the person on probation is doing well in school, following any curfews imposed, and whatever else the court papers specify.
I have talked with many families that have had children in juvenile hall or a work camp. They have told me it’s very hard to go visit your child in such a facility, especially when the parents get to go home and the child has to stay.
Encourage your child to behave well if they are locked up. I have known children to obtain special privileges for good behavior, and this can make the time go by faster. If your child is on probation and not locked up, remind them how serious things could get if they violate their probation.
Many parents feel they really pay the price for their child’s crime. Usually the parents have to coordinate and enforce all the things the court is requiring, attend parent education, and pay fees and attorney charges. So I think the whole family pays when a child commits a crime.
My advice is to try to become a stronger family and take advantage of all you are being asked to do by the court. Maybe these things are necessary to finally get your family on track.
This article was written by Nancy Stoops, M.A., M.F.T. Nancy is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Diamond Bar, and is currently accepting new clients. Nancy also runs free family support groups, anger management groups, and special groups for seniors and teens. She is also available for motivational speaking engagements. For more information on any of these services, contact Nancy at (909)229-0727.
