(no subject)

[ljgeoff]

Ok, first some backstory: about five years ago, my then-14yr-old son had a friend who was having trouble at home. He was parented by a single mom who worked long hours, and he had an older brother who was physically abusing him. First this kid stayed with us on weekends and then on a few week-days, too. Finally he just moved in. He lived with us for about a year. There were never any formal papers drawn up; his mom lived maybe ten blocks away. Around the time this boy started high school, his mom remarried, his brother moved out, and he went back to live with his mom.

About three weeks ago, a boy who is a friend of my now-14yr-old son ran away from home. My boys hid him in our basement for 36 hours -- without my knowledge. After he was apprehended, he and his mother came over to apologize for getting my boys in trouble (my boys might have been arrested for harboring a runaway, but they weren't). At that time, I told the mom about the boy who stayed with us for a year five year ago.

Yesterday she came over and we talked. This weekend, her son will move in with us, as a guest. From what I can gather, and this may be harsh, she has a situation were her partner does not like the boy (and visa-versa), and she has chosen the partner over her son.

This is a smart, funny, good-hearted kid. He, of course, has some issues. I need to get him into counseling, and his mother is fine with that. His mom can see him at any time, and she can bring him back to her home at any time. But she says that she'd be open to our adopting the boy.

Gods, it all makes me want to cry.