Funny Family Therapy

Last week we had an amusing family therapy session with our new local counselor.  We brought in the two younger girls to meet her and to begin the discussion about how we will be relating to Caroline once she comes back.  She asked Mae and Jane if they could, one at a time, select from about two dozen stuffed animals and designate one for each member of the family.  Oh, and Bill and I did this two.  The results were quite telling as well as hilarious.  We were to say why the stuffed animal they picked represented the family member, which made for interesting comments.  I was relieved that the kids seemed to see us mostly as loving, authoritative parents.  You know, kids can say anything and will, so I was a little nervous about how they see me, because sometimes, when chaos is visiting our family through Caroline's meltdowns or crises, I react poorly and say things I shouldn't say.  All parents have at one time or another (if you say you haven't you are lying).  Everything they said was pretty accurate about each other, but not always about themselves. 

We finally got Elizabeth, the oldest, in to meet the new counselor today.  We had to twist her arm to get her there.  She doesn't see why she needs therapy.  We all certainly see it, but she is in denial.  She wants to believe that all problems in our family are Caroline's in origin, which sadly isn't the case.  Elizabeth brings her own set of issues to the table, including, denial of her faults.  She really has a hard time with this.  I love her to death, but she is amazingly self-righteous.  Hopefully she will grow out of that with time and experience!

Caroline is becoming very homesick.  She has been at the RTC for two months now and with school ending there, I think she is getting tired of summer in Texas.  My husband goes out to see her this weekend which will help, but we really don't think she is ready to come home yet.  We aren't ready for her to come home yet.  And we still don't know when or if are moving.  Very frustrating.