Is there hope for this family?

The Hardcastle family in Las Vegas could easily be the family next door. The parents are hard-working professionals and their beloved daughter, Whitney, is a druggie without a future. Although she appears to be just another child of privilege, there would seem to be other factors in this situation.

Judge Gerald W. Hardcastle is a family court judge and deals with children who are neglected or abused, addicted or delinquent. His wife Kathy is the chief district judge of Clark County.

Their daughter brought a runaway boy home last year and the Hardcastles let him stay. The Hardcastles indulge their daughter with money, cars, a cellphone, nice clothing. They are waiting for her moment of clarity, the day she wakes up and they all laugh about this.

Read their story and see if you can spot where things really went wrong.

When you read of Whitney’s childhood, you can see that a lot of effort was put in by all concerned, but somehow there was an absence of, or a breakdown in communication. When the truth finally came out, it was too late for half-measures. The family was irrevocably launched into a downward spiral which continues today.

Her father blames Las Vegas, but I think Whitney was never adequately prepared for life.

It would seem that love alone is not enough to ensure your children’s happiness. In a hostile environment, it also takes the right kind of training in overcoming adversity. Perhaps Whitney is learning as a result of her exposure to the underside of Las Vegas. I hope so, because her parents seem to have gone into withdrawal.

Hug your children and shower them with love, but you had better prepare them for the real world too.

For my earlier posts on children of privilege, check here and here.

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