Category Archives: Uncategorized

National Adoption Month – A thank you

Adoption story – A thank you Readers may remember more than 4 years ago when I wrote about Ronald McDonald and Houdini.  That four post series is still among the more popular posts on this site. My brother and I are adopted.  Our father, adopted us when I was 3 and my brother was 4.  In doing so, he gave us a chance at a normal life.  A chance.  Life has a strange way of showing you normal. There are no regrets.  Every time I am in the city where dad lives, I make an effort to get together with him for coffee and conversation. Each time we are together, about once a month, I thank him for saving us.  For giving us his name. It’s a simple thing really.  He didn’t need to adopt us.  He did.  In the process he gave us his name, a grandmother, an Uncle

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SMI and the Tragedy of Adulthood

SMI – Serious Mental Illness The National Survey on Drug Use and Health  (NSDUH), which defines SMI (Serious Mental Illness) as: A mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder (excluding developmental and substance use disorders); Diagnosable currently or within the past year; Of sufficient duration to meet diagnostic criteria specified within the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV); and, Resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. So, what does this have to do with David? David came to us when he was 18 months old.  We became his parents, legally, 6 months later.  In truth, since he was just months old, he has been a part of our lives.  Mom had a home daycare.  And we filled in as needed for his foster family‘s day care provider. David is 15 now, in the blink of an

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Ever Vigilant, Hyper-Vigilant

Vigilant. Hyper-Vigilant. We had an overnight pass with David over the weekend. While things went well, there were near constant redirects.  There wasn’t anything that can lay a finger on as saying this is a huge issue.  It was just little stuff. Rather than bringing him home, with the risk that such a trip entails, at least for overnights, we had a hotel. The idea of using a hotel was endorsed by the facility.  In fact, they paid for it. Because we had all of the boys, our hotel room had two queen beds and a pull out.  David and I were on one bed, mom on another and the other two boys on the pullout. Now, in the past when David has been home, I was the primary parent.  I was awake at night to keep him out of trouble.  And while I didn’t stay awake the whole night,

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