Quote:
Originally Posted by lissabunnie
Did you punish her?
And when you talked to her about it, what did she say?
I'm really really curious.
Tells me everything, please?
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Sorry, it took me so long to get back to you. It was a very difficult time. I got suspicious when I walked past the computer and she kept minimizing the IM window. I told her I needed to see what was going on. She got so angry. She started by screaming at me, saying anything she could think of to make me stop and argue with her, which only showed me she was hiding something. I sent her to her room while I read. She was so angry and I think worried about what I would read that she actually swallowed some pills (motion sickness, they were the only ones handy). Then she got scared and tried to throw them up. I heard her throwing up out her window, but I originally thought she was just crying so hard that she was making herself sick. Then she came out of her room and told me what she'd done.
She and I have been in family counseling since I split up with her father and she took the split very hard. I called her counselor who said I had to take her to the emergency room. There, they treated it like an overdose and made her drink charcoal, put in an IV, monitored her heart, the whole nine yards. That was enough to scare her straight. I actually think that was a good thing because it was not fun, and she will think twice before trying that again.
We got through that night and the next day we had a counseling session with her therapist (who is a wonderful person) and we discussed the logs and the fact that the guy wasn't a teenager. I also told her we needed to call the police. There is a dare officer at her school who is a liaison between the school and the police who she sees every day. I asked her if she wanted me to call him or a friend of mine who is a policeman. She wanted me to call my friend mostly because i think she was ashamed. We printed the logs and filed the necessary reports, etc. I didn't think that after all of that, she needed further punishment, other than she was off the computer for a while to disconnect from the guy. We blocked him, etc.
It was not an easy time for us, but in the long run, with the help of her counselor, teachers and police, she realized we were just trying to keep her safe. I think things are better now.
I think the key for us has been able to find a really good counselor who knows how to put things in perspective and cut to the heart of the issue. I don't think I would have known what to do or how to handle it without her coaching.
I was hesitant to share all that information but if it helps you...then something good will come of it.
