Tonight, for the first time, I am taking Pint, who will turn 11 in August to the nearest decent ALA TEEN meeting.
Perhaps there she will find the peace and strength she needs to realize she is not capable, nor should she try, to manage her mother's bad choices, addiction and manipulation.
After a bit, say a year or so, I will have her little sister, Half Pint start going with her. Since she is just ready to turn 8, she's a bit young, but is being subjected to Mom's manipulations and is reacting to them in a negative manner.
Pint found out about Mom's arrest. It sort of codified things for her. Also, I believe, it made me NOT the bad guy "as in you stole me away from my mommy for no good reason....(which is the bullshit her mother is feeding them of course)"
I will let you know how this works out for her. The lady that answered the phone said this is a really good meeting and as it is held at a place where they have a program for recovering heroin addicts who actually LIVE there with their children...and it is those children who will be attending the meetings, I think it could be a positive.
BTW, Calamity had the option of going into that program. She turned it down (free brand new apartments, with your children living with you, no men allowed, two year program, regular piss tests, regular mandatory mental health counseling, free educational opportunities at local community college, 10 PM curfew, free child care..free medical care, free job training and job placement assistance)
and yeah, Calamity turned it down. Amazing ain't it?
All these programs out there for addicts...and they don't bother. Wonder why I don't care whether or not an addict gets treatment? Because they don't WANT treatment. And when they DO want treatment, THEY find it for themselves.
I think it is great you are getting her started in Alateen, I wish someone had turned me on to it when I was younger. Wow, I am glad those programs exist for the ones who are ready and willing, I had no idea there were such programs out there. In the small towns, that just doesn't happen. It sucks when our loved one just seems to now want to get better, plain sucks.
ReplyDeleteThat should read "just seems to NOT want to get better".
ReplyDeleteThis will be a great experience for her. I hope you've found a great sanctuary.
ReplyDeleteMom trying to detach...ROFL...and We ARE a small town. OMGosh, we are SO small. I am having to drive 45 minutes to the nearest meeting and the only reason THEY have a meeting is that it is the rehab house apt thingy I described.
ReplyDeletesydney. MEE TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, so the rehab thing and Alateen meetings are in the same place/town, duh!! Ha..I am a bit slow sometimes being from a small town and all;)
ReplyDeleteyah. our town has a whopping 3,000 ppl in it LOL
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great opportunity for the addicts. ]t is soooo wrong for your little ones to have to defend themselves but I know they must.
ReplyDeleteIt is good that you are helping them get the tools to defend themselves.
I am on the same page regarding the last sentence on your post. It seems that we want them to get help, but we totally overlook that they don't want it, and we think if we could just get them in there, everything will be fine. They must want it or there will be no success and we end up totally bumbed out.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that last line is the kicker isn't it???
ReplyDeleteWow are you doing right by the pints!!! By exposing them to Ala-teen at such a young age it is something they will have to fall back on - go to - "have a home" the rest of their lives.
God bless.
Ha, just happened to click on your link - so glad I found a post!