My foster daughters from two houses over are here and have been for hours. At one point they got a notion that their father, Conspiracy Guy, my stay-at-home, homeschooling-dad neighbor, might take them to the pool, so they ran home to ask him. Five minutes later they were tumbling through my door again.
Me: What did your dad say?
Girls: He said we can't go to the pool because he's got too much work to do.
Me: Oh, what kind of work is he doing?
Youngest Girl: I don't know, it must be sleepy work, 'cause he's sleepin'.
I say again, how nice for him.
My thinking has slowly shifted on these children. I no longer resent the massive amount of free childcare I provide. Or I don't resent it as much as when they were smaller. Now I'm actually thinking, not to sound immodest, that being in our house with our family is an enriching and good thing in their lives. I'm getting better at seeing them as little people with needs and with growing, moldable minds, and not just as little people who leave my fridge door open.
I am not always as nice on the inside as I should be, y'all, but I am trying.
Friday, June 3, 2011
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11 comments:
You are the best.
Very wise, very big-hearted.
The fridge door thing would bother me too. But you are probably saving these kids.
I'll bet (assuming you both stay put in the neighborhood, at least), that when they get old enough to be coming home from college, etc., visiting you is one of the fIrst things they do, and that they think of you like a favorite aunt. They may not quite realize it just yet, but when they get older, they'll probably be incredibly appreciative that you so willingly gave them a good alternative to crazytown and showed them not everyone lives that way. Sadly, some kids really do grow up not knowing how weird their home life really is.
... well, maybe not an alternative TO Crazytown. But an alternative Crazytown nonetheless.
I just spent the most wonderful half hour reading all of your Conspiracy Guy posts again....he is one of my favorites! I think I'd get more annoyed at this constant dropping in than you do, but then again I always knew you were nicer. :)
Oh, my. You're a better person than me. And I still feel bad for those kids.
You are nicer than you give yourself credit for. But CG...I'm concerned about him. Do you think he's well? I've seen many successful homeschooling families...but I have a feeling they wouldn't be one of them.
Sleepy work eh? I think your attitude is probably better than mine.
Your hospitality to these kids may do more than you think.
One of the moms at my kid's school told me this crazy story about how her neighbor's kids kept coming over to play with her kids...toting their overnight bags. One of the kids was a 3-year-old baby girl! Dad was rarely seen and Mom was NEVER seen. The last time the kids came over to play, again with overnight bags in hand, they sent them back home and said "tell your Dad to come over here to talk to us." He never did.
I want to adopt those children.
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