It's Morning Again

Another peaceful night around here and things are going well so far this morning. Nice to see people being cooperative for the most part. It makes it so much more fun to live here when it is that way.

Last night the 3 8th graders invited their friend Ivan (pronounced I-VAUGHN) who looks so much like John that it made me really miss him. While standing in line to eat we were jesting quite a bit -- I was standing with about 6 of my kids in line and the banter was fun and light-hearted, nothing like it is when people are tense and stressed.

The downside of our lives right now is MIke, who may be released from jail soon and has absolutely no where to go. We are so torn up about this. He is our son. We adopted him so that he wouldn't be homeless as an adult. He isn't the one who did the damage to his brain by drinking when he was pregnant. And yet, to bring him back into our home would be tragic. He never maintains for more than a few weeks and he usually steals between $500 and $3000 dollars worth of our belongings each time we let him move back in. He also gives our kids with anxiety issues near anxiety attacks with his sporadic behavior and the other people who end up at our house when he lives here.

And we cannot in good conscience ask one of our friends to take him in as we know he would most likely steal from them as well. He is literally out of options at the age of 19, burned every bridge there is. Has been non-compliant with every program and now he has executed his time and thus has two convicted felonies on his record -- both theft related -- which will make getting a job difficult. He has lost everything he owns -- doesn't even have clothes to wear to interview in now that he has a work release program.

Bart visited him last night and will probably blog about it, but I have been beating my brain trying to come up with answers. I hate it that society has no programs for him -- that a kid with FASD who has a high IQ cannot get more services -- that people fresh out of jail have no place to go -- that he is just steps away from homelessness as we speak.

He has nobody but us. If we don't intervene he will be back to a life of crime within days -- because he will see no other choice. But if we do intervene he may still be back to a life of crime within days.

this really, really stinks.