My life was just turned upside down.......

[26 Inf]

Crazy that you bring up Willie. Him and I met for dinner just this week while I was in Texas for work. It was very nice.

I can't speak as to why, but he mentioned he no longer visits the site.

Thanks, that is nice to hear. I was worried about his health.

[Tigereye]

Devildog,
Not much I can add to reinforce the choice you and your girlfriend are making.
My aunt and uncle let me move in with them when I was 15 yrs old. They were 25 at the time and had a 5 yr old son. I can only imagine the discussion they must have had before letting me move into their home. I worked my way through college, am now 58 yrs old, have 2 grown daughters, and have told and continue to tell my aunt and uncle that I can't imagine how I would have turned out if not for them. When our daughters were in high school, I'm not sure how many different kids lived with us for a few days/weeks at a time. We even allowed a college age girl to live with us for a year. She became friends with one of our daughters when they were volunteers at an orphanage in Honduras. Several of our friends thought we were crazy. But, she is part of our family now. I can't imagine the long term impact that my aunt and uncle made with their decision so long ago.
As for raising your 2 yr old, read "The Strong Willed Child" by James Dobson. It really helped us with our younger daughter. I pray that you and your girlfriend will give her your heart. It will keep her from stealing it.
I can only imagine the wonderful changes this choice will make long term. God bless you and good luck.

[just a scout]

So Sunday afternoon while at work i received a call from my elderly father saying I had gotten mail at his house. Thinking it was for him (we have the same name) he opens it and calls me in a panic. To paraphrase the letter he has a granddaughter and i have a niece we knew nothing about and is currently in custody of the Child protective service. After my mom passed years ago myself and my father decided it was time to break ties with my younger brother due to the constant drug use (my family had tried for many years to help), the felony convictions and even a investigation into assisting in a bank robbery and the attempted break ins to our house he said he lived by drug dealers he owed money. The letter was looking for some one to take her into their home until they can figure out what to do. I have no idea who the mother is but i'm expecting shes a real winner also. I end up calling the next day on Monday with my girl friend of over 2 years that we just bought a 3000 square foot house and my father. Turns out she is almost 2 years old was being taken care of her mom's great grandparents then when they could no longer take care of her passed onto a "babysitter". The circumstance when child protective services stepped in, i am not allowed to know. But her mom's parents said they wanted nothing to do with her. So the director of the office there asked two things would i be willing to foster her and if later on down the road adopt her. With out a hesitation i said yes to both. So i just passed my FBI background check along with the girlfriend (no surprises there) and now waiting for a call from her case worker on Monday for the next steps. I do not have any kids, im not rich but like any one else in the U.S. trying to pay their bills. So needless to say I am scared out of my ever loving mind. My brother is currently on the run for felony warrant's so i dont predict him jumping into this any time soon. So i have a couple of questions if any one here has gone threw the foster care process. 1. How long does the process usually take. 2. I know i will have to open my home to a inspection. Obviously i am a firearm owner, but will this some how affect me from taking in my niece? I do keep all my firearms in a safe (you cant miss it in my "man cave") unless i am home and I am carrying. 3. If I adopt when do you start sitting down the dates when your "cleaning" your firearms Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

First off, screw anyone talking shit. Second, good for you. That's the right and honorable thing to do. If more people stood up and did the right thing instead of the easy thing, we wouldn't be in as much of a shit state as were in right now.

God bless you and keep doing the right thing. Honor, morals and duty aren't just words on a wall and you show that by taking her in. Now you can raise her right and not be a drag on society that she would've become otherwise. Ripples in a pond.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[MistWolf]

Life experience has taught me that bond is more important than blood. I'm grateful I came to that conclusion before my sons were born because I realized that while my sons were mine by birth, I had to earn the right to be their father, just as my father earned the right to be mine

[thebarracuda]

Im watching my two year old daughter run around the house right now. Breaks my heart what happens to children.

Good on you for trying to save this child. You may be her only chance. Life is weird....

[Dist. Expert 26]

My son just turned two last month, and imagining him in a such a situation tears me up. Like Euro, I never cared much for kids before, and I had a similar cynical outlook. But after learning to appreciate how amazing kids are, and how innocent at the same time, I can say without a doubt that I would take in any child in my family that needed help.

My wife and I have talked about fostering/adopting, but the financial burden that would entail is just too much for us to reasonably afford. Good on OP for stepping up to the plate.

On the note of the biological parents, do whatever you need to (legal or otherwise) to ensure that she never knows that they even exist. My wife's biological father was in and out of her life for years, and as a result she has some major scars that will never truly heal.

[Hmac]

My son just turned two last month, and imagining him in a such a situation tears me up.

I'm sure I felt the same way when my kids were that age, but my granddaughter is just three and that thought tears me up even more acutely now. I don't know what it is about grandchildren, but it's a completely different experience and the emotions are even closer to the surface. I get that some people aren't able to look outside their own lives, and that NOT having kids (or grandchildren) makes the concepts expressed by the OP even more incomprehensible to them. But if you've been there and ever had a two-year old touch your heart, and if you have a shred of human compassion, you just can't let that shit go.

[Dist. Expert 26]

I'm sure I felt the same way when my kids were that age, but my granddaughter is just three and that thought tears me up even more acutely now. I don't know what it is about grandchildren, but it's a completely different experience and the emotions are even closer to the surface. I get that some people aren't able to look outside their own lives, and that NOT having kids (or grandchildren) makes the concepts expressed by the OP even more incomprehensible to them. But if you've been there and ever had a two-year old touch your heart, and if you have a shred of human compassion, you just can't let that shit go.

Exactly. Hearing about bad shit happening to kids never sat well with me, but now I could do unspeakable things to child abusers and never lose a minute of sleep.

Maybe Euro will get lucky one day and have a kid of his own running around. I'm certain his perspective would change.

[Hmac]

Exactly. Hearing about bad shit happening to kids never sat well with me, but now I could do unspeakable things to child abusers and never lose a minute of sleep.

Yes. Generally, I'm a pretty reasonable guy and not prone to violence. But I have a couple of hot buttons that I pray never get pushed.

[Pi3]

Adopt her, Lover her, give her a home, become a family. You may end up saving her life.