Reply To: Going off the Derech

Observer 36- Since my son went OTD, I was sure something traumatic must have happened to him. And sometimes I still think so, however he won’t go for counseling more than a couple of times, so how will we ever know? He is connected to various organizations for high risk teens and goes to some of the groups, where the other kids tend to behave similarly to him. My son admits being angry with us, but blames it on us having moved to Israel when he was young. I know he was bullied in school here many years ago, which must have been a trauma for him. (Have often wondered if this was the trauma?) He still hates this boy who teased him, and will probably never forgive him. But I don’t think he forgives us either, since we put him in the school where this occurred. I think in his mind, he feels betrayed by everyone, his school, his friends and his parents. And since we are all religious, he has concluded unfortunately that religion itself has betrayed him.