Wow, just read that comment, and suddenly it's a completely different story. Maybe they should have kept it more anonymous and left in important details like that. I left the story thinking the same as the poster you replied to, "wow, those were some serious push-over parents." Kind of explains Alex's violent reactions too, if the parents really were attempting more serious interventions than the original story lets on.

A story like this goes to show that mercy, and never giving up on your child does pay off in the long run.