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Camp of Good Hope
Archive for 200706 ( return to current blog )
Tuesday June 12, 2007
Awwwww, you guys didn't think I was ignoring you did you? You know I love you all, right?
So busy since I've been home.
Can I just say that Texas was AWESOME! Just a leetle HOT, but other than that we loved it. Of course anywhere the grandbabies are is going to be the best anyway, right Mr. Ornery? I KNOW you know about that. Lookin' does too, right Lookin'?
While we were gone a letter came in the mail. It said that our foster baby would be removed from our home on June 18th (this Monday). This was not unexpected but did seem a little formal for the small county that we are in. Why didn't the caseworker say anything when she called me while I was in Texas to tell me about the visit that baby had with his mother today?
No biggie. I just rolled with it.
Then, later in the day, we got a phone call from the Senior Homefinding Caseworker telling us that baby was going to be removed not to the uncle's house as previously planned, but to an emergency home for a couple of weeks until the 'home study' on the uncle (mother's brother) and his wife was completed.
AN EMERGENCY HOME?
Why does baby need an EMERGENCY HOME? Why can't he just stay here for a few more weeks until he is ready to go to the uncle's house? Why does he have to go and live with a family he doesn't even know, and they don't know him, for ANY length of time before going with who will hopefully be his adoptive parents? Aren't emergency homes for children who are in EMERGENCY situations? Is living in POH's house an EMERGENCY? These are questions that floated through my pea brain all afternoon, evening and even into the night and this morning.
Suddenly it came to me.
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I SEEEEEEEEEE! Can you just see POH smacking her little hand on her little head?
See, POH, it's like this, honey.......we are the county, see. We know best. We know you believe in God, but.......................you are wrong. We are God. We have the power of life and death, good and bad, heaven and hell in our little hands. See, we might look like just average people to you, but POH you have to unnerstand........you have no say in anything. When we give you a child to take care of it is your job to feed this child, bathe this child, give this child a warm bed to sleep in, and God FORBID, do NOT cry when we come to pick him up. I mean, he's not yours after all.....................he never was. If you got attached to him that's not OUR fault. Fact is, we's tol' ya NOT to. So there.
Yeah, well, quit calling it foster care if you don't want POH to care. Why don't you just call it foster-we're-out-to-make-this-kids-life-a-living-hell-and-you-can't-do-a-darn-thing -about-it-cuz-you're-just-a-glorified-babysitter-anyway.
Yeah, hows about you just call it that?
Okay, well, this is the deal. Let's see if I can get all of my rage out before my laptop battery goes dead and I lose this whole post again, like I just did.
The great state of New York enacted a law about 3 years ago. It is a good law. The law says that if a child is in foster care for a year then from that point until eternity, the foster family that the child is with has....................ummmm..............first dibs. Okay, so they didn't use the terms 'first dibs'................I made that up. That's what they meant though. The intent of the law was to protect foster children from having to up and move away from a loving family just because some screwed up caseworker said so, and to give the foster family some legal standing in court if said screwed up caseworker suddenly decides that they are God Almighty and wants to whip the foster child out of the loving home for no good reason that anyone can come up with.
The trouble is that sometimes do-gooders think they are the only do-gooders and that they know best for children for whom they have never intimately cared.
Oh, I'm sorry, am I sounding sarcastic? Bear with me, please. It gets worse.
Our baby was going to be removed to an emergency home because on June 21, 2007 our baby will celebrate the anniversary of one year of living with us. Does anyone on the blogstream remember June 21, 2006? An auspicious day that was. I think I deleted the posts, but if you remember, baby and baby's sister..................ooooooo, baby...........that's all I can say...................we had our hands FULL in THOSE days, baby.
Okay, well, on June 21, 2007, should baby still be here, POH will have some legal wherewithall to hang on to if at some point Mr. Hope and I decide that we would like to postpone our retirement indefinitely.............possibly forever (well, maybe age 70, which is how old I will be when baby is 18, isn't forEVER.....but you know what I'm saying right?) and raise baby.
Did you really think the county would like Little POH to have THAT kinna power? Ooooo, baby............................you got DAT wrong!
So, the answer is to take baby and put him in an EMERGENCY home.
Yep, who cares what is in the kids best interest, right? Least as long as the county still retains their position as God and Savior of all little children. Yeah, right.
Today they approached us with a 'waiver'. They said that if we sign the waiver, basically surrendering any legal power that the one year date might afford us, that we can keep baby until he goes with the uncle and aunt in about three weeks or so. Oooooo, dey KNOW foster parents, don't they? Yeah, they KNOW what SUCKERS we are for the best interest of the child.
We signed.
Whatevah.
I don't presume on God. Tomorrow is promised to no man. Maybe the world will blow up in a week. Maybe just MY world will blow up in a week.
I don't want baby to go to an emergency home with people he doesn't know just so that I might be able to hang onto my right to keep him in the long term. Baby has come so far. He is talking so well that his early intervention services were taken away. He is an awesome kid now. Anyone who remembers POH's summer last year though, remembers that I almost went out of my mind from the day in and day out screaming. Baby is still fragile.
They shouldn't call it foster CARE if they don't want us to CARE. At least be HONEST and call it what it is. Foster-screw-the-kid-at-every-turn. The scary thing is that the United States has the best foster system in the world and New York is by far one of the better states at taking care of their foster children. Like I said......................sca-a-areeeee.
It's easy to be a caseworker and sit back making objective decisions based on the 'just the facts, ma'am'. Matters of the heart are not so simple.
One day at a time, sweet Jesus, one day at a time.......................................
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Tuesday June 5, 2007
Today is Tuesday................Today is Tuesday..............
Oh sorry, I thought I was with the kids right now.....................well, whoops....I AM! *wink*
We've been swimming, waterballooning, walk-walk-walking, children's museuming, playgrounding, singing, reading, coloring.........................
POH is exHAUSTED! How is it that TWO kids can wear me out more than the SEVEN at home? Hoo-boy, these kids have en-en-en-er-geeeeeeeeeeee. Out the wazoooooooooooo! Ooooooo, don't mention the zoo! *smacking own head* Yikes, I can smell the elephants as we speak!
Well, if this place is Texas................I like it! Maybe I'll just MOVE here, Heide............how 'bout dat?
It sure is purty where we are . Lot's of trees. I thought I was in Florida!
One thing though...............they have CAMERA'S at every light. Don't run the red! You get the ticket in the mail and they have your PICTURE! Shoooot. Good thing POH isn't drivin'!
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Saturday June 2, 2007
Well, it was a wild ride today! We hit turbulance between Rochester and Washington, DC. When the plane landed with a jolt I let a little gasp. Several people turned to see if I was still breathing. Just barely. I like airplanes too. Just not when they are rocking like my old horse when I was three......
ya know?
The trip from DC to Houston was better.....longer though. At least I got a bag of pretzels and some tomato juice on that one! Ooooo, I was huh-uh-uhn-gareeeeeee!
I got the best greeting I think I have ever received in my enTIRE life, from my five year old grandson at the airport. He ran up and JUMPED up in my arms. He is getting BIG!
All those days of driving three hours to watch him while his mother worked, between the ages of 8 and 18 months was definitely worth it though........baby, he LOVE his Nana! *wink*
My granddaughter is the keeeeuuuutest little thing with her painted nails, pierced ears, purty sandels. She looks just like her mommy did back in the day with those reddish blonde curls all over her head. Wow, I was seriously transported back in time when I saw her.
I met another little boy in the airport. He was running all over the place and his mother had lost complete control of him. He was totally annoying the other people sitting in the gate area, but I have to say he had the most beautiful brown face and dark black eyes. I'm not quite sure what nationality he was, maybe Indian, but he was a keeeeeuuuuutie.
He decided at one point to climb up in the chair next to me, stick his four year old face right up in mine and ask me how I was 'dooooin'. I could feel the faces of all the stuffy ol' adults around me looking over to see how I was going to handle the intrusion. Yeah, like I had anything better to do right then.
I pulled out the pack of bubblemint Orbit gum I bought yesterday and looked at the mother. She nodded with a grateful expression. I handed him a piece, he chewed it for exactly ten seconds and promptly swallowed it. Then he put out his hand for more. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "ONE MORE and don't swallow this one because there won't be another". He looked very somber and nodded his head. He never swallowed the next piece.
Then I pulled out one of three books I had brought with me in my bag. It had a little clock on it and lot's of colorful pictures. He and I sat and read the book for 20 minutes. I thought the mom was going to cry for the relief she felt. I was feeling awesome that I could help her. At one point she looked at me and intimated that I didn't have to........I smiled and waved her off. I told her that I don't know why, but kids like me. She relaxed.
As they were about to go, the little boy asked if he could have the book. I was torn. I had bought it for my grandson, but I also knew it wasn't a big deal. I'm sure Wal-Mart would have another. *sheepish grin* The way he asked was a little bit fresh and I didn't want him to think that he could just go up and ask strangers for things quite like that. He was so cute though when he said, "But you KNOW I'll love it!"
Okay, everybody just get it out right now..............
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.
As he ran away to catch the flight they were going on the mom passed by me. I slipped her the book. Again, she tried to refuse. Again, I insisted. She took it with a shy thank you and a smile.
Yeah, Wal-Mart has a ton of 'em.........even if they don't, my grandchildren have a huge closet full of books. I guess I won't worry if I can't find that exACT one, right?
It was a long day...........but a good one. Hey, I even got a chicken teriyaki sub from Subway. A Jerod special low fat one even! *two thumbs up!*
So, here I am, Heide! Where are ya, girl? *smile* You're right, The Woodlands is very, very pretty. My son-in-law told me that they live in the 'slums' of this particular area.. I had to chuckle. Nothing about this place is the slums, Heide!
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