In our case, my son Andy, who turns 34 this year, became a single Dad of three almost eight years ago. Valerie was 6, Andrew was 4, and Hunter was 2. To make things even harder, he was not only left to support and care for three children, he was left to care for a child who is autistic and has cerebral palsy. Andrew was diagnosed when he was 3. Their biological mother walked out on them and they have not seen her, heard from her, received a birthday card, Christmas gift, or just a note to ask “how are you” in seven years. And though the court awarded my son sole custody of the children (the fortunate part), he has had no luck collecting the back child support – which is now close to $30,000 (the unfortunate part).

Then came his second wife who he lived with for five years before marrying again. You’d think after five years it would be “OK”?

Unfortunately, no.

She decided she was too young to help care for a handicapped child and didn’t want to be tied down like that for the rest of her life. And it’s unfortunate that Dad’s get the bad rap most of the time because it’s not just them, it’s the Mom’s also who become dead beats and don’t seek out their children. On the fortunate side – and where I shall leave this, my son has three wonderful children – Valerie is now 14, Andrew is 12, and Hunter just turned 9. They thrive under the loving care of their father, their grandmother, their aunts, and their uncles. So never fear, your “daughter” knows you will be there for her also.

Hugs to all of you and prayers for your upcoming mission -
Marcia

Back in my school days, I was Ambrosia – “too much” imagination and too much energy. If they’d been drugging up “unruly” kids back in the fifties, I would surely have been dosed to the gills. But was I ADHD? Aw hell no. There were just other things I’d rather have been doing… like reading. I went through books like other kids consumed candy bars.

Too bad Ambrosia’s teachers expect obedient, compliant followers and choose to penalize independence, individuality and a healthy personality.

The only way your daughter is going to end up a delinquent is if they are determined to push her there. It’s just so sad: “This child disrespects me by refusing to obey me, so therefore she’s bad, and headed for worse.”

For a VERY contrarian take on the entire educational system, read John Taylor Gatto’s damning indictment, “The Underground History of American Education,” at http://www.johntaylorgatto.com or buy it from Amazon.

Only one nation refused to accept the psychology of submission. The
Chechens never sought to please, to ingratiate themselves with the
bosses; their attitude was always haughty and indeed openly
hostile…. And here is the extraordinary thing—everyone was afraid of
them. No one could stop them from living as they did. The regime which
had ruled the land for thirty years could not force them to respect
its laws.
— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago

The history of the Hmong yields several lessons that anyone who deals
with them might do well to remember. Among the most obvious are that
the Hmong do not like to take orders; that they do not like to lose;
that they would rather flee, fight, or die than surrender; that they
are not intimidated by being outnumbered, that they are rarely
persuaded that the customs of other cultures, even those more powerful
than their own are superior; that they are capable of getting very
angry….Those who have tried to defeat, deceive, govern, regulate,
constrain, assimilate, or patronize the Hmong have, as a rule,
disliked them intensely.
— Anne Fadiman, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

If they mean to have a war, let it begin here
— Captain John Parker, commanding the American militia against the
British. Said at first light, Lexington, Massachusetts, April 19, 1775

~Charles