Truth is the best story

geoff says:

08:40am | 04/09/09

‘Their only crime was to write a story to help others?’
Stories like this need to be told. Families need to be saved, and if telling my family story could save or help your family, i’m going to tell it!

Eric says:

09:36am | 04/09/09

What makes you think the mother’s story was true? The son disputes it.

I think the whole thing with writing ongoing stories about a child’s deepest personal issues from the age of two is a bit creepy. The child didn’t consent to having his private life aired in public. How would you feel if your mother did that to you?

Gibbot says:

09:43am | 04/09/09

Jake should write a book of his own about how his mother screwed his life up.

caroline says:

10:40am | 04/09/09

i’m sure that writing the book was an exceptional salve to myerson after the pain she has been through.  no doubt it will be a helpful read for others experiencing similar circumstances.  but i think that it would be more beneficial still to have jake’s perspective included, as this is surely the missing part of the puzzle for any parent struggling with their child’s drug use.  and it could have been an opportunity for healing between jake and his parents, whereas i imagine this book won’t do their relationship any favours.

DG (formerly known as stumped) says:

10:52am | 04/09/09

To begin with I think that we must establish that there is some duty for a parent to act as a confident of their child. A child should be able to tell their parent anything without fear that their mother will write it down an sell a book about it - if we want children to be able to interact honestly and sincerely we must, as a society, protect that relationship and the communications that form the relationship. (in the same way as we respect communications between Dr’s/patients and Lawyers/clients, after all the relationship is, in some respects, much like that of a counselor and patients.

At the same time there is much that we, as a society, can learn by sharing experiences of this nature. The value of such an experience should not be overlooked.

Then we must look at the mother’s motives: If her primary purpose was to get the information out into the world why didn’t she get her son’s permission before publishing his deep, dark (presumably secret) past?

If her driving motivation were to help others why didn’t she write the book anonymously or under an assumed name (changing the name of the parties to protect their identity) rather than using her name as a means to profit even further?

It does appear that the son has every right to feel aggrieved - it is understandable that he would, in the circumstances, feel that his mother was trying to profit from the worst part of his life. The ethicists appear to be facing the issue I mentioned above in respect of trust within the parent/child relationship and the effect that this book could have on relationships between other children and their parents.

The mother, apparently, doesn’t feel any duty to protect the identity of her estranged son* (this may be an indicator of the nature of their relationship before the drugs were introduced) - had she written under an assumed name she would have achieved her goal and protected her son. It was well within her means to do so - why do you think that she decided not to? Perhaps her real motive was, as suggested in the article, to make a quick buck.

Even after learning that it is causing so much hurt to her estranged son does she stall the project, make changes and release it under an assumed name in a different market or does she live off the hype created in her home country and let it take her around the world at the expense of her son? Again, if the key is her message for others, why is it so essential that she, personally, get the credit? Ego? Greed? or perhaps that’s not the motive at all….

*beyond leaving out his name, which would easily be ascertained by any one that knew him or his mother.

Bitten says:

10:58am | 04/09/09

17 is not a child and no person has the right to put a family’s safety, home life and personal relationships at risk. I don’t care if this turd of a child was ‘lost’, fact is, all of us were 17 at some stage. Some of us managed not to become drug-addled turds. Bravo to this woman for having the courage to tell her story.

Terry Wright says:

04:08pm | 04/09/09

PFFFT. Tough Love is as farcical as skunk/cannabis being addictive. It seems more like the family was so blinded by anti-drug propaganda they forget that Jake was also their child growing up like a normal teenager. I imagine that much of her claims were exaggerated like all good anti-drug warriors are guilty of. Claims of addiction, extreme psychotic disorders, potency disparities and violence are just standard tactics for these people. It’s interesting that his side of the story is less dramatic and more believable.

As all good writers know - nothing helps sales more than a bit of good ol’ drug hysteria!