A counselor at the school (in Fall River) called me and told me Mariah was showing emotional stress that was becoming physical and that she had missed 12 out of 20 days of school. I was so upset; but, I can't get anything done because I am only the grandparent and I have no official rights at this point.

I was devastated and so was my granddaughter but there is nothing legally that anyone could do. I might have supported Mariah making the transition slowly, but my daughter just came in and took her away from everything she has ever known.

Things are just now starting to fall into place. But, if you were to ask me how things were last month, I wouldn't have said that.

It adds to the stress. I wish I didn't have to think about school right now.

They may suffer post-traumatic stress disorder. Their ability to concentrate in school, their academics, social functioning, their relationships in general with people, may all be impacted.

Stress is a natural and normal part of being alive. Stress-free promises set people up for failure. Even when used with good intentions and accompanied by relevant and beneficial ideas and practices, the use of the words stress-free is still ill advised because the approach is infused with an erroneous idea that will never come to fruition. The stress-free idea has become a significant hurdle on the path to real stress management, which is the balance between using stress productively and relieving harmful stress symptoms.