The session started out with some 1 on 1 time between Jacob and the counsellor, which made Shannie and I hesitate a little bit. We both chose to go upstairs and give them some space to get to know each other. And immediately Jacob began to talk about what happened to our dog Max on Christmas day 2010. Jacob would only talk about Max for a couple of minutes, but when you consider that he'd never spoken to anyone outside the family about what he saw that day, we felt that he did very good.
After a few minutes, Jacob changed the conversation to Lego.com, which was a way to limit his emotional response. He spoke briefly about Max, our new dog Chico and Roxy, the pit bull that attacked our dog. And we were shocked in the fact that Jacob opened up to a complete stranger about something he rarely talks to us about. But at one point, Jacob put his head into his hands and cried out a couple tears. Seeing this almost made Shannie and I fall apart.
After the hour visit with us, we all felt that Jacob had made tremendous progress towards getting a grasp on what happened that day. We spoke about putting up a picture of Max to help Jacob feel more comfortable talking about what happened during our next session in 2 weeks. So we decided to use a picture of Max as our new screen saver, but we're going to have to wait and see how Jacob reacts. It hard to believe that it's been 18 months or so since that day, but it's still very hard to talk about. Hopefully in time, we'll all feel better and since our next court date is next Friday, hopefully then we'll get some closure. And believe me, we all need it.
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| This was Max the puppy |
I hope there is closure. I know the circumstances are totally different but my son went nuts after my mom's dog died. He still has a picture of Maddy at his bedside...and she died three years ago.
ReplyDeleteHopefully one day he will. But it's possible that he won't, but we reamian optimistic.
DeleteReally glad to hear that Jacob did so well, Jim! That's great! It's so important for him to be able to feel and talk about those emotions...it's important for all of us! Poor Jacob....I just can't imagine what goes through his head after what he saw that Christmas day. No, people don't forget those kinds of things. Pit bulls have caused so much suffering and misery for so many people, and this is why I continue to work on regulating them. Hang in there, Jim. I'm anxious to see how Jacob progresses. And ....good luck with your court case. Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteI will for sure Jewel. the fool involved still won't take responsibility, but if he has to pay 25K, he will.
DeleteKatie sees a counselor every other week, and she always opens up to her a lot more than she ever does me. I love that she has someone to talk about things with, and work through the more difficult times. I am sorry the counseling is needed, but I am glad it went well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen. We both think that he'll open up more with each visit. And hopefully, he'll one day be able to share how he really feels with us and the counsellor.
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