A Whole New Adventure

So we went from being parents of three to parents of one in one horrible day. We missed our Sugars and Dab Dab and poured all of our love on our Bunny. Now, God has taken us in a new direction and it is certainly an adventure!
We are houseparents in a group home to nine, yes, I said nine, girls ages 9-17. They, along with our Bunny, make up our home at this time.
Some people ask me how I can take on such a challenge and still maintain my sanity. Well, there is one thing that drove me crazy when I first started this but, once I accepted it as fact, I am now much calmer. That fact is this....TEENAGERS WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING!!!! Yes, if you were to get them a flashy, brand new blue car, they would complain that they wanted a red one. We have a huge house and there are nine girls. Each girl has a chore in one part of the house. You would think that we are asking them for one of their kidneys when we ask them to do their chores. On the other hand, they have forced me to live outside my bubble and embrace new cultures and, more importantly, music. Some of the music these teens listen to these days (gee, did I just sound like my grandma?), is just downright hysterical. I like to listen to country music and it usually has a story to tell. I think that the whole point of their music is to get it to rhyme. Don't get me wrong, it does have a good beat and you can definately dance to it. But some of the lyrics are downright skanky. It kind of reminds me of when I was a kid and I would be watching tv with my parents and a love scene would come on and it would be totally uncomfortable. It's the same thing when one of those "songs" comes on. I don't really think that it is appropriate for a 9 year old to be singing about wanting to "make love all night long". Yes, I realize that she probably doesn't know what she is singing about but it is the principle of the thing. This is just one of the numerous challenges and adventures that we can expect. How do you let them be kids and embrace their individuality but still protect them from the bad stuff? Do you trust them that they will do the right thing or police them at every turn? These are beautiful, talented young ladies and it is our job to help them to be all that they can be. It is a little overwhelming but if we can handle three toddlers at one time I am sure we can handle this.

Stay tuned!
TTFN
The Fostermomma