My kids were different, too, after leaving. They didn't have as "cool" clothes and were not so world-knowledgeable, etc. Some of them did great and had tons of friends. Others had a hard time or gravitated to the wrong kind of friends.

Tired's son has never been in the Family, tho. So for him, the reasons are a little different. But going to school puts a pressure on many kids, no matter what their background, to conform to certain images, and if they don't, it's really hard for them to make it through. It's heart-breaking.