Teenager Update -- Chapter Closed

[Nasoosie]

Congratulations for being there for that poor kid, Laura. Let's pray her own mom can step up now and do the job she is supposed to do. At least your girl now knows she has a person she can trust and perhaps confide in, and she might need you now and then along her rough road of life. Give yourself a big pat on the back from all of us!

Now, breathe, and go for a walk with Jeb!

[khenrie]

praying for positive steps for all today. Hope you can sit back and relax tonight.

[dayspring39]

Wow you have been and are a brave woman... she sounds like a lost child... you have given her in a few short (long) days something she will never forget... I cannot even guess what it would be like to have a 13 year old dropped in on me right out of the blue... it must be (or hopefully has been) a shock to your system... you did not have her even long enough to adjust to a routine of together and apart... God bless you Laura... I pray you will have your space back but be prepared to feel a let down and loss... children have a way of getting into our hearts even when we do not know it!
You have done a great job!
Kathleen

[Forestgal]

Well, my teenage charge is back in her own home. It's certainly not a home by middle-American white standards, but she's home.

I won't go into all the things I've learned about myself because the list would be too long. It's enough to say that I've realized that even though I may not have liked my family and the boundaries that were placed on me, today I'm forever grateful for those values that were instilled in me from a very young age. S. hasn't been given that gift, and it was evident in what I found after she left. Nothing bad, but items left in the guest bath medicine cabinet (no drugs -- just cosmetics & various toiletries) were used without permission being given. There was a dirty dish left on a wall shelf -- meaning that she was downstairs after lights out. And she put items in an antique trunk containing items from my mom & grandmother.

Maybe I'm sounding petty, but it's just so darned hard to understand how a person would not ask permission to do or use various things in a stranger's house. Nothing was damaged or ruined, but it's a good lesson for me in being explicit about what's off limits and what's public property.

I'm not sure what's going to happen with this child. I'm afraid that she & her mom will end up in Mexico, or her mom will want to go and she won't. But the CPS social worker stated last night that she expects to be involved with her again. I wouldn't be surprised either.

I've stripped the bed, moved furniture back into the guest room, and am airing it out. It feels good to not have to be aware of another person right now. I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight ... after saying a prayer for my short-term charge.

Thanks for your prayers, friends.

Laura

[cpatinjones]

Praying everything works out for her.

[AlmostThere]

Get a well deserved good night's rest, Laura.

[HorizonSeeker]

I've been lurking on the sidelines of this tough time for you and keeping quiet. I am also a teacher and I also have taken in a student with a difficult home life. Very different circumstances but the real difficulty is in adding another person into your routine. And yes, while you and I might never think to go into someone's personal things, it's hard to believe that someone would just do that. I had my charge for 6 months until her grandmother came to live with them and she felt safe sleeping with her grandmother (her father was abusing her). But it all worked out and I am happy to report that my temporary daughter is living a very good life. She is in grad school in San Diego and has a new baby and I hear from her often. But I've never taken in another student no matter what the circumstances. It just opens you up to so many issues. Glad it all worked out for you Forestgal.