THE BILLY PROJECT
The Hunter Story
Story Findings
Here's our classic denial story. But it's directly tied into home life. The parallels between home life and childhood disorders are so persistent within these stories. It's impossible to sort out the actual child’s story because the parents and administration speak so loudly over it. In these stories, there is so much adult projection about the child’s struggles because children are unable to understand, nonetheless communicate their struggles. So, parents decide what their children’s stories look like. And so do their teachers. It turns out, they are telling different stories.
When it comes to qualifying for help, parents are legally the only ones who are able to sign it off. So, if the parents are in denial, or are not in a place to be able to accommodate, the school is legally in no position to intervene.
Laura: I had to do that with a hunter. Oppositional defiant disorder. And he would dig his heels in and refuse to do anything. I would talk to mom about it because dad didn’t want anything to do with it. Mom didn’t know what to do with it. It was happening at a boys and girls club.
Jen: And I feel like Dad was in denial.
Laura: But mom knew it was hard.
Jen: Because he didn’t treat her with respect either and she was very meek. The dad really ran through her.
Laura: I tried all of the charts and systems with him, but he didn’t care. He was just going to do things his way in his time. He would get so mad. He would break pencils instead of hitting people.