Juvenile Boot Camps

Sending a child to juvenile boot camp is never an easy decision. After all, juvenile boot camps don't just whip your kid into shape. They actually change every aspect of his or her personality. At least that is the stated goal. A boot camp for juvenile offenders is meant as a way to intercede before things get too bad. It reaches out to troubled teens and gives them a whole new way of seeing the world. They come out of the experience viewing discipline as the finest quality, and having a renewed respect for authority.

In the case of my family, it wasn't a choice I made. I would never have sent my child to a boot camp for juvenile offenders at the time, but it was that or juvenile hall. I knew how juvie worked. I had worked with juvenile offenders before, and I knew that my son would come out tougher and angrier than before. Naturally, when the judge offered juvenile boot camps as an alternative, I jumped at the chance. It is much better than turning my kid into a hardened criminal in his early teens.

There are many different juvenile boot camps out there, but usually when your child is ordered to go to one by a court you don't have much of a choice. Fortunately, the program that my kid went to was pretty highly regarded. The counselors have a military background like in most of these camps, but they also have psychological knowledge. In my opinion, a knowledge of psychology is crucial for juvenile boot camps. Discipline is not the only thing that matters. Children need tough love, but they also need love. If they are only treated like soldiers, they will emerge more alienated than before.

I was amazed by how much different my kid was when he came out of the juvenile boot camp. The changes were like night and day. He practically saluted us when he met us. The feeling of respect was palpable. He didn't mouth off anymore, didn't waste all his time playing guitar or writing poetry, kept getting good grades, and even took up sports. Needless to say, he stayed away from the teen drug use that had gotten him into trouble in the first place. Now he is thinking of going to a military academy, and I have juvenile boot camp to thank for it. A parent couldn't be prouder.