This month I have been told by 3 separate people at DCFS that my home is:

1) on hold

2) definitely closed

3) definitely open

They are ALL looking at the same database. And this sums up foster care.

Me teen daughter was reminiscing about her favorite childhood moments, and I could’ve listened for hours. I know every moment hasn’t been good, but the idea that we’re sending her into adulthood with such wonderful memories.

When I wrote her name in melted chocolate

When her dad stayed home with the kids one summer and got a membership to the local water park

Trips to the Children’s Museum

Spending a weekend in Arkansas in a cabin by a river

I heard someone say once that you can’t give a kid a successful adulthood, but you can give them a good childhood, and I love that as a goal. I know that private schools and the Ivy League and financing their first business ventures aren’t in reach, but we can give them this.

At camp today a kid told Pip that his “real” parents must have really hated him to “get rid of him” (give him up for adoption), and we - his “fake” parents - probably don’t like him all that much either. Then he proceeded to make sure no one would share or work with Pip on the camp projects and activities. The whole story was all confirmed by camp staff. Pip cried the entire drive home.

I’m so f#^ing angry.

60k mentally unwell jay ferin. i want her

bat wings 🍂🦇

More of the Role Reversal AU where Charlie and Vaggie mentor Alastor feat. some changes to “Ready For This”

I think in response to Twitter, Tumblr should make it so that you can't open any other apps on your phone until you've seen at least 600 posts for the day.

Remember The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock? The movie showed how a kid who had an extremely rough upbringing got help from the family of a school friend, found success in football and ultimately ended up being adopted by the family. Turns out he was never adopted.

Michael Oher says that he was tricked by the Tuohy family into signing documents that made them his conservators. Since he was already 18 at the time the family told him, “that it means pretty much the exact same thing as 'adoptive parents,' but that the laws were just written in a way that took [his] age into account.”

Oher also says that papers were signed so that his story and likeness were given away for free to use in The Blind Side. He also never got a single royalty check for the hugely successful, Oscar nominated film in the 14 years since its release.

Growlithe

Ares saying he hates his own kids and the worst day of the year is when they visit him makes my heart break for Clarisse more. Clarisse fights so hard for scraps of her father’s attention and Ares sees her as just another nuisance. He doesn’t care about her unless she’s able to serve him. But Clarisse (like Annabeth) thinks she just has to work harder for him to love her. In her mind, it’s all her fault. Which is why she is so angry when little punk Percy strolls in at twelve years old, no training and unclaimed, and immediately defeats the minotaur. In three days hes already got the gods attention and his father claimed him. Of course she’s angry.

I feel like the legal institution of adoption is unreasonably limited by restricting it to parent-child relationships. If me and some random asshole want to legally be second cousins, I think we should just be able to do that.

We had parent/teacher conferences tonight and I continue to be concerned about Felix.

I thought he’d been doing okay the past few weeks but it turns out the school just hadn’t shared any of the incidents with me. There were two this week alone (it’s Wednesday). I have asked so many times for communication. Sent emails about it and had meetings about it. And I still get nothing. I’ve stressed that I need the information to work with his therapeutic team. That I need the info so I can back up the school at home and work to improve behaviors. Nothing. They don’t even bother telling me that he’s missed two hours of class, broken objects, self-harmed, etc. Do they think he’s going to tell me? I don’t get it.

And then I asked them if they were administering his as-needed medication when he’s dysregulated. They are not. The principal thinks it’s not necessary because “they can handle him”. Okay, but the medication is prescribed. And you may be comfortable with him missing hours of class time because he’s raging, but if you just gave the medication he would be missing 15 minutes of class, or maybe none at all. Frankly, I don’t care what you think you can handle, I care what my child can handle. I care what our family can handle. Don’t send home an exhausted irritated traumatized child because you refuse to give him a prescribed pill.

Add insult to injury and they are still not following his IEP. I have met with them three times this year. Every meeting they accuse him of lying. But I absolutely know he’s right, he’s not getting the IEP services, because if he was the above wouldn’t be happening to the degree it is. I know the term gaslighting is overused, but I think that’s where we are now. His school is gaslighting us, and it’s hurting everyone.

I picked up some French bread and snacked on it on my way to pick up the kiddo. When we got home, he noticed that the end was missing.

L: MOTHER, WHY HAVE YOU EATEN THE BRIOCHE?!?

Me: Where did you even learn that word, you weirdo?

L: MOTHER, DO NOT EAT MY BRIOCHE EVER AGAIN!

My two beautiful sons, Skin and Bone

eye collector 👁️

(common superstitions from the perspective of a USAmerican- would love to hear superstitions from other regions and cultures!)

(follow the most often when the situation arises, or believe in the strongest)