Yes, I do have a home life. One that is getting slowwwwwly better. A few years ago my wife of 20 years (the marriage, not the wife) decided that we should try again to adopt a kid or two, not ever having had any of our own. Hoo boy. That led to foster care classes and adoption classes and caseworkers and kids in and out of our house.... At one time we had seven kids living with us. Not good in a three bedroom house. I had to build two more bedrooms in the garage and I built all of the beds myself. What started out as three sets of loft beds turned into four sets of bunkbeds and constant chaos. I lost about ten pounds a month between working and losing my mind.
We ended up adopting two teenagers and taking legal guardianship on a third. In the mean time, the state was constantly moving kids in and out of our house. The two we adopted lasted about a year and they both decided that us being their parents wasn't really what they wanted out of life and they left and moved back in with their birth parents. SInce the oldest was eighteen, there wasn't much we could do about it. Her younger brother has since ended up back in foster care somewhere else.
That was pretty much the final straw for me, and we had them drop our foster license. We now have one teenage girl in our home who is doing pretty good. She's kind of a flibbertigibbet but if we can keep her out of the fire for two more years we're home free. She's a pretty good kid most of the time. But, like any teenager, she likes to test our boundaries.
Other than that, my life revolves around work, the internet, my wife, our two dogs and our massive library. We are all voracious readers and there are books all over the house. A few years ago I got really bored and counted them. At the time there were about fourteen hundred scattered here and there. Most likely there's a few hundred more now.
There... I've bared my soul to you. (grin) Now I'm going back to work for some peace and quiet......
Oh, to be a kid again
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When I was a child, I knew nothing about politics. My parents didn't even
vote. I think they finally started voting in the 70's. I was probably
five o...
18 hours ago
Hey...a real "home boy" prison worker! I am retired from 25 yrs in California's system! Glad you stopped by and I would "follow" your blog if I could figure out how-I don't see a way to do so! I am an adoptive parent as well..two by birth, two adopted! Nice to "meet" you and thanks for your comment! Lisa
ReplyDeleteWhat, no pictures of the dogs?
ReplyDeleteHey, I think I've deduced that you live not so far away from me! We often ride to Knob Knoster State Park when we want a quick motorcycle ride.
Cw2smom: Thanks and welcome to my little corner of purgatory. I've only been in a little over five years but it seems like a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteDonna: Yes, you're correct. I'm not all that for from you, but I won't say exactly where just in case someone in the administration reads this and gets offended. They get awfully picky about what we say and do sometimes. Especially in a public forum.
I'll put up a pic of my babies sometime just for you.
Fostering kids, is a great undertaking, Darev.....I feel for you, I took classes quite a few years ago to become a "child advocate" Talk about an eye opener!
ReplyDeleteafter being sworn in, and working it for a short time, i realized it wasn't for me. Hats off to you and the missus.
loopy
You are to foster kids what your sister is to animals. I need to write her today.
ReplyDeleteLoopymama: This was our second go 'round with the foster system. We got burned and burned out the first time and it took a few years before we were willing to try again. If nothing else, we gave some kids a good place to live for awhile and maybe helped them out a little. That takes some of the sting out of it. But I've learned my lesson.
ReplyDeleteGuy: you should write my sister. She has some projects i think she needs so technical assistance on. But stay away from her office. Those people are crazy.