Leprosy Island's

So this might not be the best example but I shall use it anyway. Bear with please. I suggest with all seriousness that we find an island (heck donate a nice Hawaiian one-I don't care if they are happy, in fact I prefer that they be, just so I don't have to deal with them) and send all the stupid people there.) Yes, i understand. We may have to reverse that and keep the stupid people on the mainland and send the few of us who are NOT stupid to the island. However we decide to work it. I just don't think I want to deal with them any longer. Its nonsense-all of it. They did it with Leprosy. In fact that is an interesting story, because as it turns out, Leprosy wasn't terribly contagious, perhaps just scary? annoying? I can attest that both of these things hold true to the dumb people.

I was at a Citizen Review Board a month or so ago and this is where a group of volunteers review the foster care case at hand and hear from the parents, foster parents, social worker, casa worker (she represents the children) etc. then make recommendations to the judge hear the case. Well one of the issues in our case is this: Our girls speak English. I know, that wouldn't seem like a problem since we live in the US but their dad speaks Spanish. (He spoke not a lick of English when I met him and he is learning, but our conversations are quite strained and his conversations with the girls are extremely basic because they speak different languages.) This happened because when they got to our home they could speak about 20 words total(They were 22 month old and 3 1/2, so quite delayed)-10 English and 10 Spanish. I worked very hard to try to learn some Spanish and keep that up for the girls since that was their culture but I speak English and this is what they naturally picked up. I spoke to them, which no one else in their life took the time to do. Wayne speaks Spanish and although the girls will speak some Spanish words to us they refuse to speak Spanish to their dad-this must be trauma related, i don't know. All I know is they speak English, they are 2 and 4 and I am sure they will pick Spanish up at some point but this is not something to force. At the citizen board review one of the ladies said, "well can't you explain to them that it will be so good for them to know both languages? It will look so good on a resume."

I was dumbfounded and wondered if these people were parents of "normal" children much less any child that had any sort of "issues." These children know nothing of resumes or have any understanding of what is good for them. I answered with a simple, "That won't mean much to them, they are 2 and 4." RESUME? I am happy if we get through the day with only a handful of meltdowns for each girl and only a couple of tantrums. I am certain we aren't to resume stage. I hope someday they are together enough to have a reason to prepare a resume. That would be wonderful. That would mean they beat the odds. I hope that happens for them.

I got a letter from the board this week. They are suggesting to the judge that the girls take ESL classes. Hahahahahah. Um, English is their first language. Obviously we had a miscommunication somewhere. Why are we not helping dad learn English. Would that not be the MOST beneficial thing to do here? No, lets force the 2 year old and the 4 year to stretch a bit more. Growing up in a drug addicts home (if you can call it a home) isn't bad enough, having your mother disappear and not even try to work it out for you (they haven't seen her in a year), not be able to really speak to you father, finally be able to bond to a family but know you are leaving that family soon-none of that is enough stress for a little child, lets force them to learn a new language since dad doesn't speak English.

Also, the worker has seemingly done not a single thing toward reunifying the girls with their dad since last month except say she was going to-so we (my family and their therapist) have started preparing them because social worker said they could be home in as little as a month but here we are a month later and the TDM meeting has not even been scheduled-but hey its just people's lives. Apparently she works on the case for the hour she is at my house every month. This is highly pleasing.

So I say all the dumb...no it makes more sense for all the smart people.... go to the island. So start packing, if you get an invitation you are welcome to come. hehe. :)