Sunday, January 1, 2012

Ringing in 2012

Morning has quietly dawned  and 2012 is here.

The adult children that chose to go out last night were politely told to not come home until today. Each stayed at a friend's and did not get out on the roads too much.  I think this is the safest option.  None of them are wild and crazy party animals.  They will be safe.  All were told that there are many free sober rides to be had. One took a driver for their group.

As I scanned the morning news, I did see of a young person shot in a city where one of our oldest lives.  Fear grips me for a moment as I check to make sure it is not one of "ours."  It is not.

Lexy reports a party at her home.  Wonder if they behaved?  Lexy reports never drinking, yet the bottles are half full on her living room chest.  Her garbage usually has empty alcohol bottles as well.  Lexy is the product of a mom who drank during pregnancy.  We have preached much about no grands with FASDs.

It is rare that our placements do not have FASD.  All of our adopted children have FASD diagnoses.  Their deficits are hard to guess with such an invisible disability.  All are disabled in different ways due to the pre-natal alcohol exposure.  Lexy was also born positive to cocaine.  Not enough has been studied to show the long-term effects of the co-morbidity of alcohol and drug exposure pre-natally.  I know from living with these children for decades that they are never predictable.  The most stable will fall victim to scams and unscrupulous people.

I fear for them daily in so many ways.  Yet, I do not allow myself to life in fear.  I would have been dead many years ago if worry consumed me.

May 2012 bring more help for those in the foster care system.  My hope is that the system can change in ways that help our children become responsible citizens in ways that just aren't happening.

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