In 6 hours, it will be three weeks since we set the wheels of this journey in motion. I got a longer letter today, which started out with "hate mail", but then moved on to 8 pages that ranged over a wide ground. He described how depressed and miserable he is, and how he feels that the facility is only making it worse, calling it "fueled depression"...he opened up about things he'd denied in the past, such as his recent drug dealing and small thefts from his father's wallet...he described a suicide attempt he made in 6th grade, when he took a "handful" of Tylenol and was surprised when he woke up feeling awful instead of being dead.
It was a generally a very hopeless letter, but it did contain glimmers of him beginning to take some responsibility for his actions.
He also sent a letter to his father today, detailing all the ways he felt that his father has failed him. While not profane or vitriolic, it was extremely painful to read. Hopefully it will be the beginning of their rebuilding their relationship. At the end of that letter, he asked his father to ask me to send books. That's tough, as his reading material is restricted to classics and self-help books, and his tastes run to Steven King. He specifically requested the Dexter books, which I think are definitely off limits, as I'm pretty sure that books about serial killers won't pass their test. So-- a question to anyone who may be reading this. Any suggestions for "clean" books that a 16 year old boy might enjoy?
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