How Time Flies
It seems only a short time ago that I got on a plane and headed to Massachusetts to pick up our two boys. They are brothers and had endured abuse beyond imagination. They were wild children. No manners, no direction and deeply disturbed. Lets just say the flight from there to here was eventful. By the time we landed, the whole plane felt bad for me and gave me well wishes. Not one passenger had been left alone by the boys. All had been traumatized by the boys actions. When the boys arrived at our home, my sweet innocent girls had their lives turned up side down.
But here we are, 12 years later and Steven is now a young man, full of hope and promise, still things to work through but come so far. His brother, he chose the opposite life. Its a heartbreak to us. He ran off an chose a life of crime and destruction.
But on a fun note, since I have been posting pictures of Steven and Pricilla, here are some early pictures of Steven. The one of all 4 children was taken shortly after the boys came to live with us. The other picture taken a couple years later. It is such fun watching our children grow up and become young adults that are assets to their communities and blessings in our lives. We can only continue to pray for Scott who has walked so far from us
Comments
I think a child's life experiences are kind of like a set of scales, one side measuring the good, the other the bad. You never know which side of the scale any moment of life will go on. You also never know what weight will be assigned BY THE CHILD to each experience, so a smile and 'Good Job' from a teacher to a six year old may go on the plus side (She likes me, I did nice work, I'm being good today) or on the minus side (She's just saying that, I made a mistake on the corner, I'm not really good at this.)
I think kids start piling stuff on their inner scales at a very early age, and early abuse, or the length of the abuse makes it VERY difficult to ever re-balance the scales again. That you managed to do it at all with one child is a tribute to you. Being that kind of an influence on a child's life is a very worthwhile accomplishment.
I work with kids every day at the library, and try to make a difference.
Jane
I can relate to your problems, because I do have such similar experience. My oldest daughter, from my first marriage (to the Mennonite man), developed mental problems, because when I finally had had enough emotional abuse from my in-laws and church, and husband, I left when I was pregnant. Of course, I was shunned, my daughter never ever saw her real father, and put all those feelings inside herself, and developed problems, even though she has a loving stepfather, who has given her everything in this world. You can put 2 plants in the same pot, water them the same, but they never turn out the same. It is unexplainable, if that is a word... Keep up the faith in him, he sounds like he is on the right track. My best wishes to him and you and your family.
Debbie