My own little world

My own little world is no longer population me.*

A week ago, my life was so different. My thoughts were different, my worries were different. Now? There are so many things that I have to put in order so her life runs smoothly the next few weeks. I'm making sure she gets time with her friends and I've been spending my evenings driving her about. I'm even coming home right after work and fixing dinner. That's new for me! But I don't care if I don't get to do what I "want to do" or what I usually would do after work. It's about her, not about me.

I have been in touch with another foster mom with teen experience. I've also been trying to utilize her SW for advice, although it's a little hard to track her worker down.

Anyway, it's hard to try and get her to settle in when she's been on her own for so long...fending for herself. It's not easy setting rules and such without making her feel like I'm treating her younger than she is. While I'm trying to treat her like her age, she's more mature than her age and has had been handling adult responsibilities.

I knew teens were fragile, but I didn't realize how easy it is to upset their world. I went to implement a rule that I felt was reasonable. I talked to others that have teens, including the SW, and they all agreed. Well, it didn't go over well with Jade. I talked to her and decided to be a little more lenient about it. She presents as a very mature young lady who has a good head on her shoulders, but she's a teen. In my heart, I feel like I can trust her, but I just don't know. This is definitely a learning process.

* My Own Little World / Matthew West [YouT^be video]