My Cheap Ole Tomatoes

I'd picked this book up, cheaply of course, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it, halfway through it in one sitting. The guy is a superb writer and has his own website.

The San Antonio newspaper updated their tragic story regarding Four Feet Under and I'm going to mull through it on my other blog later today, one of their columnists also hit on my other outrage, when single mothers allow their homeless, unemployed boyfriends to babysit their children.

I'd blogged about how Sonny lost his driver's license last January when he'd received a speeding ticket, failed to tell me about it, didn't show up for court and then had a spitstorm to face, finally coming to me about it after Edgar had told on him.

Sonny surrendered his license like a man, took his lumps, depended on many of us for rides to work, went to his driving school punishment, paid some huge fines and costs, and not once ever tried to drive illegally. Well big whoop one might say, but if one knew Sonny, knew his previous issues one would be mightily impressed.

I'd talked stuff over with Dr. Mandy, how when one attends school under the EBD (Emotional Disordered Behaviors) label, a parent or a teacher might not truly understand the cloud that a kid is under, there is the blurred wall that literally prevents learning. Dr. Mandy explained to me that now, with age and maturity, and I understand that his attachment is so secure now at age 21, that I should be expecting to see vast amounts of progress and I am. But what if Sonny had aged out of the foster care system? Where would he have been? An angry young man with so few chances to ever make it. Claudia and Bart have had some heartbreaking posts lately regarding aging out and what in-utero alcohol abuse has done to our children.

We made Sonny a cake yesterday to celebrate his emotional victories and the return of his license. He earned our pride and I am extremely proud of him. His girlfriend, Erica, drove him out there to get it taken care of, then he drove to work for Chuck's company, returning home to our obvious pride in him.

I've never been tempted to quit on Sonny, not for a minute, I've been discouraged at times but he's been a pretty great kid of mine that I've adored since I first met him. Other kids are tougher, my jailbirds, have stretched my commitment pretty thin but again Claudia's unilateral commitment should be read by parents like me, an important reminder.