To say the least, my family has been at wits' end on several occasions. Dealing with April, our bipolar daughter, is not an easy thing.

Bipolar Disorder is a very abusive disease to the person who has it and to the loved ones around them. When the patient takes all their medications and begin to feel normal and in control, they begin to think they do not need the medication any more.

This is one of the hard parts of dealing with the bipolar person. When they are older like my daughter, you can not force them to take their medication or to take birth control, or to do much of anything. They run around making decisions that get them into hot water and you just sort of drown with them.

Over the weekend we had a yard sale. My daughter April wanted a new scooter ($250.) We told her if she helped out with the yard sale and sold some of her things we would pay her for helping. Then she could put the scooter she wanted on lay away.

Well that was not good enough for her. She wanted us to just go buy it. Considering her sister's birthday was on May 30, we just did not have the extra funds to sink into a scooter for April. Plus she needs to know the value of money and how to earn it.

Needless to say jealousy set in and April's temper began to boil. It came out at her little sister in vile words, it came out at her dad by her throwing things as she cleaned her room. Breaking yet another bed. Then it came out at a young girl (she did not like) and her boyfriend as they walked down the street. April just went across the street and started yelling at them at the top of her lungs.

Finally considering I was embarrassed to death since I had yard sale customers during this episode, I told her to go to her room. Well that didn't go over to well either. She stood on our front porch and yelled out "Does anyone have any prozac ... because my mom needs some." Needless to say, I wanted to crawl under a table. I could not believe she just made such a statement.

She proceeded into the house slamming the door and kicking things around, ripping the door to our upstairs right off the hinge. At this point I knew I needed to address this situation because she was bound and determined to explode.

I went up the stairs and when I got to the door of her room, she began screaming foul language at me. I told her I would call her DHS worker if she didn't calm down. At that point she said "If I get taken from this home I will make damn sure Angela goes with me."

Well I lost my cool and without thought I open handed slapped her. Then all "hell" broke loose. I tried to restrain her but at 186 pounds full of anger and adreniline, it was nearly impossible for me. I kept begging her to calm down, at which point she tossed me across the room on to the floor and went running out of the house.

She was out in the yard beating on the car and pulling her hair out. (From what the yard sale witnesses said). When I got to the front door she was pacing back and forth and yelling and screaming. I kept asking her to calm down. When that didn't happen I called 911.

She at that point went running down the street. The police came and we wrote up statements and then they went to find April. Of course April's idea of what just happened was different than everyone else's.

Bottom line, we finally for the very first time got to meet her DHS worker in person. My body is covered with bruises from my right leg up my torso and even on my arms. April had no marks on her. However she swears that she was abused.

April went to court. She came with her DHS worker and a police escort to get her belongings. (Like she needed a police officer). Then she told the worker she just wanted to come back home. Be with her family. She cried. I cried. Dad cried.

When talking to the prosecutor, I was told that there could be charges of abandonment if we refuse to take her back into our home. This is the third time she has beat the stuffing out of me, the fifth time she has done domestic abuse on our family. My first time I lost it and open handed slapped her in the face.

I was basically told I had no rights and she had every right. I could not slap my child for cussing at me and threatening me out of total disrespect. I could not say I did not want her back in my home because I lost it and was not able to take her abuse and disrespect any more. If I took that attitude even though she is and has been the ward of DHS for over a month (court ordered by the Judge), my husband and I would be charged with abandonment.

Yes, I lost it and I slapped my daughter. I did not hit her hard enough to make a bruise. However in her rage as I tried to restrain her she put several bruises on me. There were several witnesses to what happened. Two people who know our family and knew it was April in full escalation.

Once again she screamed out at her little sister that she was her blood and just like her and that we were not her parents and she did not have to listen to us. Her little sister in tears. April still screaming mean things at her.

Where does it stop? We are overwhelmed. We are not abandoning April. She has abandoned us. We have always been there for her before, during and after her rages.

We have no rights as to how she treats us. But she has every right as to how she is treated. When did life get so turned around that the biological parents get off scot free with no charges when they dump their children. But if an adoptive parent works with a child for 11 years and can not help the child anymore and DHS takes custody of her by court default. (Not ours) The court did not know what else to do to help her. So she was made ward of DHS so she could receive services.

Why would we as adoptive parents even be threatened with abandonment? You can't abandon something that does not want to be in your home. Maybe I'm just not seeing the light here. All I know is sometimes adoption is the best thing in life that can happen to you and sometimes it just sucks.

April is now being transferred to yet another foster home. No charges are filed against her. We are court-mandated to do family counseling with her.

At this point I am getting an attorney. We have been there done that so many times that there isn't a therapist on earth that can help us if April does not want the help and refuses to take her medications.

Whatever it takes, we are not going to allow Angela to be put through any more emotional abuse by her older sister April.