Today is Sammy’s fifteenth birthday. A far cry from the little five year old boy I brought home just over nine years ago. At that point I never imagined I would have a child in a residential treatment center, and actually, had never even heard of them.

While talking with my father-in-law last weekend, we were talking about Sammy’s upcoming birthday and his impending adulthood. He asked me what was going to happen in three years when Sammy became a legal adult and was no longer in a residential center. In no way will he be ready for the real world.

I have been... more

Today we went to go visit Sammy at his new residential placement. In the past I have checked out the placement ahead of time, or very shortly after his placement. I did not do that this time since the facility is well known statewide, I had several good referrals from people I trust, and quite frankly, it doesn’t much matter.

I don’t hold much hope that Sammy is going to be “cured” at whatever facility he is in, but I do check for obvious safety issues, both for Sammy and for the other children.

This facility is ranking high on my “I like this place”... more