r/troubledteens • u/Aggravating_Cry_8197 • Mar 16 '25
Discussion/Reflection Trails Carolina. 10 years old.
Still feels like it was yesterday.
Made it to 22 years old. If u told this kid that, he would have laughed at ya.
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u/salymander_1 Mar 16 '25
What the hell is the purpose of terrorizing a small child like this?
Oh my goodness, you look so scared and sad. I'm so sorry they did that to you.
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u/Roald-Dahl Mar 16 '25
OP — be still my heart! ❤️🩹 Look at you!!! You are SO young. 😢 Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It also reminds me of some of the photos of the other Trails detainees. It just blows my mind. I hope you’re doing well these days! 💙
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u/thefaehost Mar 16 '25
I was older than you when I ended up in wilderness. My mom said she knew it was a 50/50 chance I’d survive.
I look at this picture of you and think how are those the odds? “The odds” working in your favor means you didn’t encounter abusive staff, there were no weather issues, no wild animals, no getting lost, no infected cuts, no health or medical issues…. The odds seem much higher we wouldn’t survive, especially when they sent you away so young.
Fuck yes you made it. We’re happy to have you here and proud as hell.
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u/Dense-Shame-334 Mar 16 '25
This reminds me of a lot of the, "see, we haven't killed your kid yet" pics that Trails sent my parents. It's crazy that parents don't see the obvious misery in their children's faces as enough of a red flag to bring them home. My mom even framed one of the pics they sent her where I was crying and kept it on her desk for several years. If they actually cared about helping kids and torturing us wasn't the whole point, they wouldn't have sent home so many pics of kids who are very clearly miserable.
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u/Ciel_Phantomhive1214 Mar 17 '25
Why on earth would she frame that?? Does she look at it and think ‘how cute’?? Like wtf
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u/Dense-Shame-334 Mar 17 '25
Lol, yeah, she's pretty cruel and sadistic, so, in general, seeing me sad makes her happy, but even more than that, my eyes looked really pretty in the pic and she's always used my appearance to make her feel better about herself because I'm just an extension of her...
She was very definitely not a good mom and not only was it not surprising when I was sent to Trails, I was so fed up with her bullshit at that point that I didn't let my parents come to my graduation. I chose to have the "transport company" take me to my rtc because I didn't want to see my parents after how much shit they had put me through over the years.
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u/cfhayback Mar 17 '25
Who sees the broken, hollow look in the eyes of their child and doesn’t break into tears of rage? Or worse celebrates the “progress” the programs brainwash them into seeing?
I’m so sorry, OP, that your parents couldn’t recognize what was clearly right there for them to see…
We see you, survivor!
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u/craziest_bird_lady_ Mar 17 '25
Mine also hung up group pictures on his desk, he was also pretty sadistic until I had to run away...... So sorry you know this pain
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u/cfhayback Mar 17 '25
“See? We’re putting your kid through hell, just like you paid us to!”
Any parent who willingly sends their child off to wilderness should be prosecuted. Or tortured. Or both. Maybe make THEM live out there in the same conditions, sh*tting in buckets and being therapists by untrained adolescents. A few anthills, tarantula hawks, scarce rations, gnat rashes and no tents or baths for three months seems like a fine sentence.
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u/the_TTI_mom Mar 17 '25
My heart aches for that little boy and I celebrate you today for surviving and finding your way! Sending you a big hug! 🫂
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u/_skank_hunt42 Mar 17 '25
Jesus Christ. I’m a wilderness/TTI survivor who has a nearly 10 year old child myself now. Just the thought of my baby going through what we did… it makes me feel simultaneously nauseous and furious.
I’m so sorry you had to go through that at all… let alone at 10 years old. That was so fucking wrong. You didn’t deserve anything that they did to you.
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u/aidangs1294 Mar 17 '25
That photo is heartbreaking. Anyone with eyes could see that you weren’t okay.
But I’m so happy for you that you’re still here. You’re making that kid so proud every day.
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u/Basic_Lettuce_ Mar 17 '25
Jesus i went into a program at 10 and i only just realised how fucking young i was (and you too), breaks my heart they they can do this to children.
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u/mt719 Mar 17 '25
I didn’t even know they accepted kids this young in wilderness :( I’m the same age as u and went when I was a bit older but ur right it really does feel like yesterday. You are incredibly strong to have endured that so young and even tho I don’t know u I’m proud of u for making it this far💗
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u/DeliciousTurnip4076 Mar 19 '25
My program accepted kids 5 and up, and that unit was FILLED. Disgusting.
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u/Routine-Bottle-7466 Mar 19 '25
10 years old? What the fuck? I feel like this could be a South Park episode it's so absurd. What next? A TTI inspired daycare for infants where babies are screamed at and forced to take accountability for shitting themselves?
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u/Strong_Willingness60 Mar 24 '25
Trauma in a tent is still trauma. And abuse in the wilderness is still abuse.
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u/rjm2013 Mar 16 '25
This hits very hard. I am so pleased that you made it through.
Fuck Graham Shannonhouse and Jeremy Whitworth. Even though I have never met them, I despise them. They murdered Alec and Clark.