When one child goes to court, the whole family gets sentenced.
	The System as a Family Affair
Reality 1-0-1 for the parent of a troubled teenager is that if and when your child is cast into the system, so are you! You can scream and cry and deny that you have anything to do with the trouble your child has gotten him or herself into, but the reality is that your life, as you knew it, is over. In most cases, a child's legal issues will spill over into other areas of your life. We're just curious, but would you say that your introduction to the juvenile justice system is also a six-week crash course in Worry? [That's Worry with a capital w!] Hurled from your everyday routine into the stark world of metal detectors, badges and the crushing dictates of the court, you must suddenly program your life like a digital clock. Where once you could depend on your wits to guide you through the day, now you must rely on faith and organizational skills you didn't even know you had to get your child through a year of formal probation. Our Before Court Activity Chart will help you appreciate your life, no matter how many other challenges you’re going through. Our Life After Court Activity Chart was gleaned from talking with over 1,000 court-involved parents...mostly in courthouse hallways and exhaustive visitor lines at various County lock-ups.