Several years ago my husband and I read Relief for Hurting Parents by Buddy Scott at a friend's recommendation because our preteen daughter was showing many danger signals of a rebellious and wasted life.

Much prayer and putting into practice many of the principles of the book later we were able to see her slowly turn around. She is now an honors student and a real joy to our lives...

I can see how the principles in the book can both help the ones in pain now and help prevent pain in the future for others.

May the Lord bless you and the ministry. God is still using the "book" (Relief for Hurting Parents) to help us. I am amazed that you wrote it before you knew us. It sounds like it was written because of us.

Relief for Hurting Parents has been an enormous help -- it's the only thing that has given us affirmation.

Your surprise was something I am still marveling at. The things that have been happening lately in my life are nothing short of inspiring and heaven sent. I received your package the next day (Saturday).

I'm on chapter 8 and I have reread most of the first 7 chapters to allow it all to be absorbed. I'm sure I'll be rereading it several times for encouragement.

You are a "breath of fresh air" to this mom who was feeling pretty beaten down. I see some things we are doing as you suggest, but also see many mistakes we are making. I love my children beyond words, but I've -- in the name of love -- allowed them to make me their doormat. I no longer wish to walk under my children but beside them.

I commend your deep Christian thoughts and agree with everything I have read so far. I know my family can be saved, but not with the methods I've been using.

You will be hearing more from me as I am intending to start a support group here in our town. I know that I'm not the only hurting parent here and I've decided to make my Christian walk touch as many hurting souls as I can. I firmly believe our families have to be strong and united and I want to help others. I can't close my eyes to this need.

If I had had this book four years ago I wouldn't have had to have my son in rehab.

I heard you speak on one of the radio stations several weeks ago and you talked about your book and your seminars. I bought the book and must say it is the best book I've ever read, the reason being, you talk in specifics instead of generalities.

My husband and I along with another couple from our church attended your seminar in Brooksville last week. Since you were busy when we were getting ready to leave, we did not get a chance to thank you and Dr. Golden so much for the inspirational weekend. The only problem was that we wished we had heard all you gave about ten years ago when our children were smaller.

In the midst of a crisis with our fifteen-year-old daughter, I got my hands on Relief for Hurting Parents by Buddy Scott. Thank you! It's been a tremendous help. Our rescue operation is just beginning so I cannot say what the outcome will be. God knows, and we trust Him. He's our coworker and #1 Ally. We are considering starting a Parenting Within Reason support group.

Last month a fitful two-year struggle, full of trials and tribulations, culminated with my wife taking our sixteen-year-old son, Kurt, to a treatment center.

We have felt abused by Kurt -- the lying, stealing, constant skipping of school, alcohol and drug abuse took a daily toll on us until we knew it was time for professional intervention (the psychologist Kurt had been seeing did not seem to help much these past two years).

We are sorry to say Kurt refused to enter himself into the treatment center, thereby choosing to live elsewhere under the conditions we set forth. That is the bad news.

The good news is that the personnel gave us a copy of your book Relief for Hurting Parents. My wife and I bless you for writing such a helpful, intelligent, Spirit-filled, and honest book.

Relief provided just that. Although we have come to recognize we made some mistakes with Kurt, we now recognize we also did a lot of things right. We tried everything we knew to help Kurt but always wondered if there was more we could have done. There is a growing sense of release as we realize Kurt is making some choices of his own as he refuses to follow even our most basic guidelines and now chooses not to live at home.

Our confidence, shaken through two years of having everything we've tried thrown back in our faces, is returning as we feel confirmed in our approach to helping Kurt.

My wife was so excited about your book, she couldn't wait to share its insights with me: she called from the treatment center and read me the back cover. Over the next several days we took turns reading chapters and discussing your concepts and our feelings. This action proved to be therapeutic and healing to us, individually and as a couple.

Your book Relief for Hurting Parents changed my life.

I am interested in starting a support group for grandparents raising their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I am a grandmother raising my oldest grandchild, Brittany, nine years old. I've had her for five years this July.

Needless to say, I have a prodigal child, a daughter age twenty-nine. She is the mother of Brittany. She also has two other children and the paternal grandparents in Illinois have them.

So often we pick up the paper or turn on the news and a child has committed adult crimes and the grandparents are raising this child and they have nowhere to turn for help, understanding, and compassion.

This seems to us to be like an alternative to -------- (another nationally known parent support group) which is not Christian based.

My husband and I have two sons who have been "through the system." One is nineteen and the other seventeen. Your book is the best and most detailed I have read -- there is not much out there. I ordered your book on a whim thinking, "Well, we'll try this one and see if it helps," and it was great. I then ordered five more and gave one to our pastor and will give others away as needed. Yes, we are Christians -- kids went to Christian school, faithful attenders at church, you name it and then three years ago things fell apart. Of course, we realize that it all of a sudden didn't happen.

We had the boys to a Christian youth counselor, but they lied to him and blamed me and the counselor believed them. They have been involved in crime -- we turned them in. The nineteen-year-old is on the -------- program.

Unfortunately, our pastor is a good listener, but couldn't help us. Other Christians want to get as far away as possible from you and your kids. It has been very lonely.

The pastors today complain if their people go to -------- (another nationally known parent support group), but give them little help and not much of a choice. If this could get in the churches -- it would be such a help to many...

I want you to know what a help and encouragement your book has been to us and we will get the word out for you.

Just read Relief for Hurting Parents! My daughter (eighteen years old) ran away and I was frantic looking for something to read to help us.

After scouring the library and local bookstores, a lady at the Christian bookstore suggested your book. I had it shipped next-day air and began devouring it immediately. Nothing else I saw comes close to helping like Relief does!

My daughter is back home now and we are trying to apply your principles where needed. Without your book, I'm not sure she'd be home now.

Found a counselor and asked her all the questions you suggested and my daughter will see her tomorrow.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

This is the most informative parenting book I have read -- Believe me, I have read many! I wish I could memorize every word in the book. Thanks!

Thank you for the help you have already provided to our church simply by holding up the need and hope of parent support groups.

I have read and am rereading your book Relief for Hurting Parents. It has met our needs as a family and I am sure the blessings will be multiplied with the support group.

It is believed that Jonathan has a learning deficit and we are now in the process of his pediatrician doing the final tests. Things will be so much better now that we will all understand Jonathan does not do certain things to be "lazy," "stupid," or even defiant. I am so glad we were in the support group so that it would prompt me to pursue such an avenue. Thank all of you for your wonderful help and support!

I purchased your book Relief for Hurting Parents approximately one year ago. It helped me greatly in getting through one of the most difficult times of my life. You see, I was experiencing deep heartache and grief over a rebellious teenager. I found your book so effective and overwhelming that I could not devour it in one sitting. Rather, I had to digest it a little at a time when I was hurting the most and needing to know that others have survived the awful pain.

I have been exposed recently to the book written by Buddy Scott, Relief for Hurting Parents. I was extremely impressed with the content, the ease of which the book can be read, but especially with the way the book addresses parent and kid relationships.

As a pastor, I see families every week that need to hear what this book contains. Please send me more information about Parenting Within Reason, the various materials being published, and also the possibility of scheduling a workshop in our church.

It is exciting to read this material and realize we are not alone when we have trouble with our kids. I believe I would not be fulfilling my call as a caring pastor if I did not make this material available to my church family.

I'm reading your book for the third time through and we find an "inner peace" of continuing the proper posture, even though the battle here is not over.

I would just like to take a minute to thank you for your book and leadership material for support groups. I know you have a heart for the family -- parents and children seem to be struggling with so many pressures on a daily basis. As Christians, we hurt and deal with the same confusion, heartache, pain, and joys as non believers -- yet we have the wisdom, compassion, and mercy of a wonderful God to go to; a God who knows my "parent-heart."

It seems as if, when we are in the midst, or even the beginning of family crisis, it's difficult to sort out our feelings and knowledge. Your book helps to bring many of these things back into perspective for us, and gives us hope, and a firm parent-child relationship base once again. Many dysfunctional families today have never had a solid parenting past, and your book brings these things into focus.

When Larry and I were going through the darkest of times with our children, we had no support group available. We felt that we could not possibly tell anyone at our church for fear that they might see us as having failed as parents and having failed God. We did not understand all the "Why's" of going through trials, but now we can look back and see how God has worked in and through our children, and through us also.

Please address parents who are continually hateful and spiteful, who curse at, name call, ridicule, cut down, tromp on their stepchildren on a continual daily basis. Who when Mom's back is turned (he thinks) shoots the finger and glares at the kids. The children are becoming what he keeps telling them they are. He's killing them slowly -- or maybe not so slowly. Please help! He's here today too and of course -- mad. Thank you.

Your book has really helped me! Knowing how to discipline fairly has really made a world of difference!

Thank you for giving parents a place to go when all else seems hopeless!

I am not certain if you will remember me or not, but I had written to your organization a few months ago, after reading an article by Buddy Scott that was published in CHRISTIAN PARENTING TODAY. I wanted to thank you for sending the information that you did. It was most helpful, and I wanted to let you know how things are going. Since my daughter was released from the hospital, we had planned on placement outside the home. However, we were unable to find any place that we felt would be beneficial to her. We prayed, and felt the Lord leading us to bring her home and show the unconditional love of God and forgiveness she needed. That has been over two months ago, and things are working out wonderful. She has been completely off her medication of Lithium, Alivan and Legretol for almost eight weeks now. Things are going along so well, as we learn to trust God with our lives, on a daily basis, more and more, moment by moment and we are continually amazed at His love and faithfulness to us as parents and as His children. Thank you so much for your concern and compassion for me, as a parent and an individual. You will never know just how much the material that you sent was appreciated, and the difference that it has made in my life. It has given me the ability to see things clearly, and deal with the hand I have been dealt... an ability to not only help my daughter heal, but an ability to help heal myself. Thank you so very much for everything. And as you ended your letter to me you said: Be Encouraged...Today I can honestly say: I am.