Namvet Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Well, yesterday was in court all afternoon and walked out with temporary custody of five grandkids, ages 9 mo to 13 yrs. Goodbye retirement and it looks like my geets will be collecting some dust. Spent this morning waiting on the school bus. Thanks for letting me vent some frustration, but a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Been there and done similar, wherever you are in life it usually isn't good when you have to do such. I hope it works out for you and the kids. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Wow. Goodbye retirement is right. Fortunately I saw a "temporary" in there. And it could always be worse. Always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Good on you for doing what's right brother. My daughter has 3 of her own, but not a pot to pi$$ in or a window to throw it out from. We have a two family, she's been here for two years next month, these kids have no Dad, so I do what I can. My wife has the patience of a saint, so we know, no matter what happens, they have a roof over their heads, heat/food/clothing.. you do what you can. there's a peace of mind knowing that your own are in good hands. You will have time to play the geets, just gotta let this transition settle down. Best of luck to all of you, May Jesus smile upon you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 You be doing Gods work. At our age we should be out of the kid business, but sometimes you just have no choice, none that you can live with. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Best of luck, bro. I think you nailed it with "a man's gotta do..." At a certain point that's the bottom line of life, I think. Stuff happens and you've gotta do the best response your logic and intuition, heart and resources can create. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namvet Posted August 15, 2013 Author Share Posted August 15, 2013 Thanks men, I needed the support. You guys are great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Quite an awesome task you've assumed. Good on ya. Now just get the 13 year old interested in guitar and you can spend some time giving him/her lessons. At least you'll get some string time in that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 You grandparents raisin' your grandkids have my utmost respect ... and sympathy. 9 - 13? Looks like guit tar playing is just what the gramps ordered. Get a couple knock-abouts and teach these kids a thing or two about REAL guit tar. Beats Guitar Zero, and it will occupy their time productively. Sadly, 'temporary' is only one day shy of permanent. Whatever it is that made a judge place these young ones in your care will take years to sort itself out. Been on the outside looking in on this type of scenario playing out in a couple related families. A couple of my kids came down with a bad case of the 'Stupids' in their teen years, but straightened up.. I hope for good. I just hope my kids don't place me and Mrs. TommyK in this situation. If it happens I'll step up, but I really don't want to have to... ya know? The worst part is the government folks pokin' their nose in YOUR business. Folks that have a whole lot of book learnin' about raising kids, but no kitchen table smarts. Whatever you do, don't let these kids fall into the DCFS foster 'system'. They will come out rotten as ever. While there are some good foster HOMES, most are little better than kid warehouses. "Here's your bed, here's the feeding schedule, now leave me alone." In case you haven't thought about it, the oldest is about to start going through a serious amount of caloric intake due to that teen aged hollow leg he will be filling. Take stock of your financial situation. There is likely a social worker (see the aforementioned folks with a lot of book learnin') all up in your life. The children could be eligible for some financial assistance for their care. Ask the social worker about this. If there is assistance, take it. It may go against your grain, but take the help. Raising kids is an insidious drain on your personal coffers that might not be immediately evident. There's food, clothing, additional fuel to heat water and the home, school expenses, HEALTH CARE ... it all adds up. God speed my friends. God speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Yeah! Get them into guitar if you can. I know having them and keeping them safe will be worth the trouble if you bond with these kids. My cousins and I were raised by my grandmother for a while and we worship her. They may not seem to appreciate it, but if you do right by them you will have powerful allies in ten or fifteen years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Jesus just left Chicago.....goin' down to, New Orleans and he stopped by and said that y'all are good people NamVet. my dear Nanny had to raise 4 generations of kids, due to hard times...some unavoidable, some self inflicted, in our own family. it takes a special person to do this. being raised mostly by a Grandparent, I can attest that you may not know it at the time...they may "buck" you...and huff, and pout, but when they're grown, you'll have been the light of their lives ! my Nanny was......she's been gone since '98 & I miss her today as much as the day she was laid to rest....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Amazing that this story of grand parents stepping up like this repeats itself over and over again. you need to pass a test to drive a car,... get a certification, and countless other things in life.. one of the most important things you will do, is have children,, something any fool can do,... many times without a single clue of what this really means for who they are about to bring into this world... my grand daughters have no idea who their father is, he just up and left.. he doesn't offer any child support, and the last time they saw him, Abbey was 3, and Nicole was 6 months old. They don't remember him. We hide any pictures he may be in so they don't see him. Abby is 9 now, and she just tells people.. "I have no daddy.." I take them to things like Father Daughter dances, .. and I see a lot of guys who must be grand fathers there too. She's asked a few times about why she has no father,, I told her, 'well, you do actually, he's just chosen not to be a part of your life' it breaks my heart, it really does.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Oh boy! Ya gotta do what you gotta do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namvet Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Quite an awesome task you've assumed. Good on ya. Now just get the 13 year old interested in guitar and you can spend some time giving him/her lessons. At least you'll get some string time in that way. Tried that, even gave her a Washburn BT2 and offered to get her lessons at Willcutts but she's more interested in Xbox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Yeah, I hear it about the Xbox. Problem is that it's likely one thing to hold onto that remains - and is "in" for peer groups. <sigh> I think there's no advice of value beyond what some have noted here, that one does one's best in life with the cards one is dealt. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 You are obviously a good man. I wish you the very best in your endeavors. From one Nam vet to another... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Nam & m.. I so get that - (xbox)... gave my grandson a real good start pack for his 10th b-day.. (squire strat, lil amp..) so we sat down a bit, a few times,, and once it dawned on him that "hey,, wait,, this aint as easy as that old goat makes it look"... it was all down hill from there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyK Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Bless you, you are a true man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 On the bright side grand kids will keep you on your toes and young Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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