Other People's Kids

"Josie", Thy Name is "Stupid"

Maybe The Brat will be around a bit longer after all. I never saw such a tightrope walker in my life. She was all set to go home. All she had to do was not screw up...

So today we find out that on her last home visit she went out booze cruising with her friends. The driver on that particular expedition was Snotface. She will no longer have contact of any kind with him while she's here. At least not with our permission, I should say.

Now I think the PO has decided he'll probably recommend that she stay here after all...and I can't say I'm happy about it. The girl needs to hit bottom or something, and she has to do it hard. It has to make an impression on her, to somehow make her understand that this isn't a joke. We're just cushioning the blows for her. Maybe she needs to be smacked upside the head and needs it to hurt.

She looked us straight in the eye, swore up and down with tears in her eyes that she was home watching the Disney channel that night. The fercripesake Disney channel. When we pointed out what a lame load of crap that was and where was she really, she got all indignant about how for once in her life she tells the truth and then nobody believes her. Aren't you just welling up with pity for this poor, misunderstood girl?

I wanted to point out that if it was only once in her life, maybe she should try two, or three or four times or even more of actually telling the truth, and then people might consider wondering whether she was beginning to tell the truth sometimes.

My current judgement on the matter is that the best thing for her would be:

1) Never, EVER be allowed to go back to live with her mother or brothers again.
2) Never, EVER be allowed to spend a single minute with any but one or two of the friends she runs with (one of which a little bird told me may be a future guest with us, and I can't say I'm too displeased about it, as the kid shows promise when he visits).
3) Be sent to a foster home at least two counties away for a minimum of 6 months, with no contact with ANY of her current friends by phone or otherwise.
4) She should be made to get a job at the earliest possible time, and should be forced to join at least one extracurricular activity at school. We've already been told we don't have that power, and it sucks. I should admit, she has tried to get a job, but that's tough when you're 15.

So much for my judgement. The county is showing admirable tenacity in their singleminded drive to force her as quickly as possible back into the situation that created her mess, while showing equally impressive innovation in finding ways to studiously ignore their own order that there be family counseling. They also continue their tradition of ignoring the inconvenient little fact that the mother still hits the bars most nights and still shows far more affection for her boyfriend than her daughter.

This after ignoring the unfortunate refusal on the mother's part to receive a chemical dependency evaluation at the last court hearing. No matter the circumstances, children MUST be with their "natural" families AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AT ALL COSTS. Because that way the county's costs are lower. Until they have to pay for her to live in a group home when she kills a family of four after stealing a car and going for a joyride with Snotface.

Sigh.

posted by Dan @ 6:24 PM