Onward and forward.....

Hello readers! Long time no blog. Things have been crazy busy here but I am determined to write when I can since it can be a great outlet for me.
At this time I have 10 girls ranging in age from 10 to 17 years old. One of my girls is out of town visiting relatives. Two will turn 18 next month and leave the nest. This particular post is about those two girls.
To protect their privacy, I will call them Dena and Sam. Dena is what you would call a "spitfire". She doesn't give you very much rope to hang yourself with. She can be combative and petulant but can also be very sweet when she chooses to be. She came from a foster home where the rules were very lenient and has had a hard time adjusting to a house with actual rules (though I don't really believe our rules are that bad around here). When she turns 18, she wants to move into something called "transitional living" where she will have a small apartment on campus and will be able to adjust to living on her own. There will be no one there to make her do her chores or to get up in the morning. There will also be no one there to cook her meals or keep her company when she gets bored.
Sam just kind of likes to "ride the wave" so to speak. She reads constantly and is perfectly happy spending the entire day in her room either sleeping or reading a book. When she turns 18 next month, she will move in with a relative and hopefully will start attending college. Again, there will be no one there to get her to get up in the morning, make her take a shower and be presentable, no one there to make her not read one of her books in church(don't ask...it has happened).
The fact that I have very little time left with these two does not mean that I will give up on them. They don't understand that the lessons we try to teach them are to prepare them for later in life and not just so we will have something to do. We want them to help in the kitchen so that when they get out on their own they don't just have to exist on Romman noodles or toast. We nag them to get up in the morning so that when they are out on their own, they aren't late for class or school.
My main goal right now is to teach them three things, the first being manners. Yes maam and no maam, please and thank you, excuse me, all of these things are important things to learn in polite society. I also want them to consistantly do their chores and do them well. There are 10 of them and the chores are split up so it really isn't too much on anyone particular person. The third things is to stop tearing each other down so much. They can be very cruel to each other. I want to teach them kindness and empathy. Some of these kids have been through so much that they really have lost the ability to feel sorry for anyone but themselves.
Well, folks. That is about it for now. I hope that the next post I have will be more like my old self and a little more witty. I am a little beaten down right now but I will prevail.
TTFN