r/DAE: Calling all MADMs (Mommies Against Demonic Possession)! I consider myself the principal of principles. The parent of parents. They say a woman’s life only begins when she becomes a mother, and I wholeheartedly embody this sentiment. 

There is no one who loves and cares for their children the way that I do. But despite my best efforts, I fear that I may be losing my son—16M, whom I will call Kevin for the sake of anonymity—before my very eyes.
While I initially considered seven AP courses a positive addition to his junior year schedule, they have contributed to a cycle of late-night studying. Back in my day, homework was terminable within a reasonable time frame. 

 The amount of homework is the least of my issues. These days, it seems that he has become eerily obsessed with his studies. He now talks about his schoolwork in an almost spiritual manner, likening it to his only motivation for living. The Kevin I know is an academically lax and carefree young man. It’s almost as if he was possessed by some sort of academic weapon, specializing in demonology. 

In addition, my son has transformed into a diabolically noxious troll. He spends all his time buried in books and seems to have forgotten the basic concept of showers. I have held numerous emergency family meetings to set this migraine-inducing problem straight, but he always just shrugs it off and mumbles something about needing to finish his latest assignment as he demonically slithers away. It’s as if the beast inside him is cultivating evil through the noxious fumes of his nose-splitting B.O. and dandruff.

Perhaps the most disturbing sign of all is his utter lack of social activity. Teenagers these days are practically glued to their phones and joined at the hips with their friends. My son however, has devolved into the embodiment of a social troglodyte. 

Back in middle school, my Kevin was as socially active as they come. His friends frequented our home so regularly that I’d often wake up from my weekend slumber to find nameless children sitting in my living room. Nowadays, he not only chooses to be socially isolated, using his studies as an excuse, but also regularly mutters to himself in ancient tongues. When questioned about this practice, he looks at me strangely and claims it to be an integral aspect of his French studies. 

When I suggested that he join a club or grab a drink with friends, he wordlessly motioned toward his stacks of papers overflowing with pentagrams and other furiously scribbled written matter possibly related to witchcraft, which I’m supposed to believe is geometry homework. I’m convinced that this is because the monster inside him is preventing him from forming any human connections. 

I’ve tried everything to break its hold on him, from hiring an exorcist to banning homework in my household. If there are any moms out there that have experienced something similar, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Trying to save my son’s soul from the clutches of academic hell is driving me to my wits’ end– there’s only so much holy water one can procure before they too desire to give in to the temptations of the dark side.