Geez...sure been a while. Can't believe it's been about a week since I last checked in here. I think I mentioned in the last entry that I was going on Spring Break. Well, obviously it's here....BEEN here. I've been taking it easy so much & so well that I haven't even made an entry.
So, what's happened on Spring Break. We have seven kids altogether. Only two are still at home. No, we didn't kick the others out. They just grew up & moved on like Mother Nature intended for it to be. Ha! Funny thing is, we just can't seem to let go of the parenting. Since becoming Guardians Ad Litem & discovering how many children still need & WANT homes, we found we have no excuse for not adopting children to add to our clan. So we're almost done with our paperwork. We've already taken classes for fostering to adopt. We've already attended the Heart Gallery & chosen children we are interested in. We've decided that the teens need us the most.
Unfortunately, most people skip the teens. They either want younger children, or they have unfounded fears of teens (TEENS???!!!) primarily due to the fact they've been in the foster system longer. People often assume this means they have more behavior problems. Not that some don't, but most teens are wanting their "forever home" & the years just keep ticking by. The closer they get to eighteen, the less hope there is for them to ever have a family & home. So the system starts preparing them, giving them "life lessons" as early as the beginning teen years. This still seems so sad to me. I mean, yes, they need those skills & it's much preferred over nothing. But at the same time, it means "hey, kid...you've entered the Last Chance Years." It USED to be..at least Down Here...that when kids reached eighteen, the powers that be would load the young adult into the car, take them to the Salvation Army, and give them a choice: "You can get out & go to the left, or the right, or you can go in here." WOW! Dumped. So yeah, thankfully they are teaching them life skills. They've also just started a program where, if a teen so chooses, he or she can extend their stay at the foster parents' home until the age of twenty-one, IF the foster parents agree to it. As you can see, still an "iffy" state.
You can now see why we are determined to add children to our family who truly need us, as we do them. My hope is that someone out there reading this will also think to get involved. If my hubby & I can do this during our "we're seeing a light at the end of the tunnel from kids" years, why can't more people do so? He's 55, and I'm almost 45. Our youngest is thirteen. We don't see how we CAN'T enjoy more children. (Hubby is probably reading this & laughing right now. Natural reaction sometimes when we stop & really think about it.) I hope more people will see this about adoption & realize it about themselves, too. Just in our city, there are 500 children needing homes, free for adoption, parental rights severed. Imagine how many there are just within our STATE, let alone the COUNTRY.
So...all this to say...we have a young person in mind...17 yrs old. We saw the pictures at the Heart Gallery display & heard about this young person. We just got word over Spring Break that there is a special meet & greet Family Night being held April 14th. We'll finally get to meet him, and him us. He has been let down before...many times. We don't want him to be let down again. We hope he'll want to be a part of our family as much as we'd like to have him as a son. *Check in after April 14th for the outcome.*
Now back to the youngest two who are still home...
Our youngest was the first to say "adopt", by the way. It all started when he met foster children at school. He's a neat kid, really.
But for Spring Break, the boys & I went to our fav Saturday breakfast spot where they serve Cuban toast & cafe con leche. The boys often complain..as kids will...that they "never" plan anything on vacation. So we made a list of things we wanted to do over S.B. Then we did them, crossing them off as we went. They were all quite simple, thank goodness! They wanted to go to Barnes & Noble. We purchased books & had a Starbucks together. The next day we went out to eat at Fresh Mouth in Ybor City (the oldest's request) before going to see "Bridge to Teribithia"(sp?). Beware: don't go if you aren't prepared with Kleenex.
Another day we went on a picnic with my parents. We met at Philippe Park in Pinellas County, just over the bridge from Tampa. I failed to mention that when you tell my mom "picnic", you might as well just bring yourselves & nothing else. My mom makes the best chicken salad...ya know, that one that has either raisins or grapes or dried cranberries?? Yum! She came last year to help me get my bulletin boards done at the beginning of the school year, and brought this fabulous chicken salad, and it looked just like a chef's presentation. Yea for moms!!! Well, Mom brought the chicken salad, fruit salad (pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows, light sour cream, and coconut mixed together), and brownies. Her new trick is to pour half the brownie batter in the pan, lay a whole chocolate bar in it, and then pour the rest of the batter in & bake. Then she topped it with marshmallow cream. Let's just say this is not a picnic you'd want to do EVERY day. Oh, and she brought baked beans. Mom DID allow us to bring our own choice of drinks & allowed for us to grab a bag of chips. I added some cheese & crackers. It was all delicious!!
Then the boys went around nearby on their own adventures while I sat & talked with my parents. They're retired teachers, but since I'm not retired, I don't often catch this chance just to SIT & talk with them. Usually just phone time. (They live a little over an hour away.) It made for a wonderful day. We didn't leave until close to sundown, after taking a walk up to the Native American/Indian mounds left years ago in the park, and then down around by the water. Cross this one off the S.B. list. The next day...yesterday...was the day the boys went to spend time with their father at his house. He keeps them busy, too, so I know they'll be thrilled with the way they spent their time this S.B.
For the rest of MY Spring Break, it will be cleaning house. Our house has been sorely neglected with the way my teaching year has gone. (Replacing a teacher six times over on my grade level & trying to work with them & train them since I'm the designated team leader.) So our house needs some catching up. Hubby & I are also making visits to our children we're in charge of with Guardian Ad Litem. Carlene, stick with me! I haven't even gotten around to trying the fun things you sent me. Spring Break sometimes equates to "lazy". HA!
'Til next time, folks...
sher
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment