I have a daughter that is mentally ill that has 4 children. 6 year boy 4 year girl 2 year boy and last 1 year girl . For the last 6 years we have helped her tremendously care for her children. I have a second daughter that is a on and off drug user that also has a daughter 2 year. I also have helped care for her daughter. I myself have a 13 year old boy. December 2010 a week before Christmas, we received a call from social services which came as no surprise. My oldest daughter lost custody of her children. So in our 40`s and almost 50 we took all three. At that time ages 5, 3, and 8 months. A week after Christmas we received another phone call from social services our other daughter had relapsed so we took her daughter. In case you loose count that is 3 from my first and 1 from my second plus mine. The two year old lives with a nurse and needed almost around the clock medical treatments so we did not take him. So yes I now have 5 children. We traded in our Chevy Equinox for a Dodge Caravan, and put Children where we could find space. Since then we have had many adjustments and struggles. In this state they offer no assistance aside from child care and medicaid. Our grocery bill and utility bill are scary each month. We are faced with a moral dilemma almost daily. Keep them and maybe loose everything. Give them up and maybe they loose everything. I wake up at 4:00 am and return home at 7:00 pm Monday through Friday. I worked two jobs and ends still don't meet. If I try to figure all of this out I become anxious. So I take it one day and sometimes one moment at a time. I need help and so do these kids and I can not do it alone even though I think I can. At first we had a lot of bitterness toward our daughters. We felt as though our life had been robbed from us. Now being around my oldest daughter I see a Mom who wants to be a parent. Tries to be a parent but can only carry those wishes until her mental illness takes over. I just feel sad. Having all these children can be filled with many things, stress laughter warmth and sadness. Going anywhere is an adventure not just to me but to every person who pass along the way that has to whip their head around and take a amazed gaze. This does feel like a large task to me. While most take one child we took the whole Brady bunch crew. I am not asking for some kind of reward only a better way for all of these kids who have also decided this is their home.
