2 days in a row

Did you miss me? It's only been 24 hours. Not 24 days or weeks or years. Miracles do happen.

Tonight was a momentous evening for my household, as well as Carol's. She arrived here at around 6:30 to pick up Joshua and his belongings. I cooked dinner (pork chops, peas, corn, rice, and applesauce). She made dessert (individual sponge/angel food cakes inbetween two layers of fat free cool whip..200 calories..perfect). They loaded up Sophie and by 8:00 were on the road to Harriman. Why you might ask?

Joshua, as I have mentioned before, has been held back in the 7th grade. The school he attended previously pretty much has him labeled as a troublemaker and it does not seem they are at all willing to change that label no matter how hard the kid works to prove them wrong. These two pieces of the puzzle do not match. They are a recipe for disaster. I have been told by numerous people who I trust with out question that there was no way he was going to able to go back to that school and be successful. But what was I supposed to do? I can't afford the private schools around here, and with his history, the chance they would accept a "behavior problem" was hovering some where between slim and none.

This is when Carol mentioned that she was contemplating the possibilities of Josh coming to stay with her during the week and going to school where she teaches. As much as my children belong with me and are my responsibility, the thought of him having a completely clean slate, a fresh start, and the chance to be as successful as I know he can be was the glimmer of hope I needed. It took a lot of soul searching for both Carol and me. We presented the choice to him as a united front and left the final decision in his hands. Neither of us wanted him to answer right away. He needed to think about it seriously. After a couple of days, he said that he wanted to go and was willing to try as hard as he could to be the super star he knows he can be.

Fast forward...do you know that you can be your own lawyer? I was able to download temporary guardianship papers/forms to give Carol the rights/permissions she needed to make the decisions that would need to be made for him on a daily basis, legally. It only cost $8.95. Not bad. A whole lot cheaper than law school.

So as the summer went on I was given forms to fill out, tasks to complete, calls to make, and copies to copy. All so that when Carol went last week to register him, she was completely prepared. It seems that some of the staff at her school were a bit stunned that she was registering a real life, talking, walking, breathing child. Inside, I would say she was probably a bit stunned herself. This is a huge undertaking for her. She is becoming instaparent to a teenage boy. I got a whole lot more time to prepare for him to be this age and I still don't get it. I know that she will be a great parent to him. I don't know what I would do if she didn't give him this opportunity. I am grateful and humbled.

So they are probably sawing logs right now. The bags have been unpacked. Clothes hung neatly in the closet. Toiletries placed in their spot. They have crawled into their respective beds in preparation for tomorrow. Carol will prepare her classroom for her students to arrive on Wednesday. Joshua will wander around the grounds of the school trying to get his bearings and kind of know where he is going when the bell rings.

I love them both more than they could ever imagine. I am at peace with this decision. I truly feel it is what is best.

I too must get some sleep. 4 hours of sleep per night is not enough. Good night and sweet dreams.