There's something to be said for allowing kids to have some choice in their lives, and having trust that they'll turn out okay in the end.

On the other hand, as atheists, you have to recognize that your kids are requesting to be sent to a place where they would be relentlessly exposed to fiction passed off as Truth - which is really the worst kind of fiction, IMO. Worse, this isn't even the "feel good" fiction of liberal Christian theology we're talking about; it is the terrifying fire-and-brimstone fiction of fundamentalist Christianity, which is so emotionally and cognitively stunting (seriously, have you heard them talk?) that it should be regarded as child abuse.

Another thing: as they age, kids look less to their parents for guidance and they turn more to their peers. Moreover, because just about every other child and adult with whom they will be interacting at this camp is a fundamentalist, you should expect them to experience a lot of situational pressure to endorse fundamentalist values.

Maybe I'm biased because I'm gay and I know exactly where I stand in the fundie pecking order. Or maybe I've been deeply suspicious of religion ever since I was 5 years old and my grandmother told me that she didn't believe in dinosaurs because they weren't in the Bible.

I have to agree with the writers who have pointed out that there are many, many other camps out there which are just as likely to be fun without the brainwashing component.

Try Alfred.

Aw, you beat me to it. :(

Their urges are usually from a sexualized trauma of some sort. It is not natural; it is the tragic psychological effect of someone's sin against them.

The tragedy is when people who have no understanding of psychology speak as if they do.

Let me be clear: you are talking out your ass.

I am so tired of people asserting, without any sound evidence, that gay people are gay because they have been traumatized or damaged somehow, or because daddy was emotionally distant. Why can't gay just be good enough?

I am not a victim.

Maybe *you* were traumatized, Sadsheep. This could explain why you're eager to project your trauma onto others, and why you still need an imaginary, omnipotent "parent" to tell you what to do. Maybe you need some help to grow up and join the ranks of freethinking adults?

Or maybe you should just leave the practice of psychology to educated, licensed professionals.

To diagnose PTSD, it is required that "the person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or physical death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self and others" AND "the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror."

PTSD is for survivors or catastrophes like combat, natural disasters, physical and sexual assault, etc. Some would say that receiving a terminal diagnosis counts, but I tend to think that's kind of stretching it.

Identifying every psycho-emotional breakdown due to a change in life circumstances as "PTSD" not only makes the diagnosis less meaningful over time (while artifically inflating the number of PTSD sufferers), it also discounts the very real and visceral horrors experienced by those who have been genuinely traumatized.

If I had to venture a guess with the information provided, this sounds more like an Adjustment Disorder. But that's just a guess; a licensed meantal health professional would do a more thorough clinical assessment, and the LW would be advised to make an appointment with one soon if the distress is as severe and debilitating as written.

Although medication may help, don't overlook therapy. The particulars and mechanics of therapy are often less important than the quality of the therapeutic relationship.

(On an aside, EMDR is a crock. It's just your basic exposure therapy with some "magic" finger-waving attached. It seems like a money-making scheme in which therapists pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to attend workshops to learn the ins and outs of the magic finger-waving.)

Beating up a stoner. Way to go! I'll bet that was really hard.

And completely justified. I mean, having someone blow smoke in your face is totally equivalent to the concussion you could have given him.

On the other hand, maybe you should chill out. (Just a little?)

Hmm. I wonder if there's anything out there to help with that..?