Someone on one of the lists posed a question.

What do you think my kids will say when they go back to school and the teacher asks what they did this summer?

She was referring to her emotionally healthy kids, possibly bringing up some of the craziness that can occur in a foster or adoptive home. You do run the chance with some of our kids, of them bringing up some interesting things.

Would your child say?

I had a visit with my birth mom and I don’t live with her anymore because she drinks and does drugs.

Would you crawl under the table if he did?

How about…

Well, I went to go see this stupid therapist who makes me talk about my mad and the people who beat me.

Some of our emotionally healthy kids would have some good answers too.

I saw my brother get arrested after he kicked holes in the wall and busted out the windows in the house.

Yikes. That would make a great impression on the first day of school, wouldn’t it?

Or the ever popular..

My sister hit my mom then called her a bunch of naughty words and ran away.

Wonder if they’d be watching your child a little bit closer?

Our summer has been insanely busy, and we only got to go camping once. Hopefully that will be a good memory for Hannah. It was her first time camping and going to “childrens’ camp” while I attended some religious education classes.

Some other memories for her will be going to Kansas and staying with “Miss Nancy” and having a blast at the ATN conference (yes, she really did) and having play dates with her friend A.

Sammy’s memories will not be so pleasant. It has not been a good summer for him, and the monthly meetings to discuss his behaviors were not pleasant. His visits home were few and far between. He is currently waiting for a court date to find out if he goes back to jail. Not the way I wanted to end my summer, and surely not the way he wanted to end his, but these are the consequences for the choices he made.

I will remember a summer with a beautiful little girl who has made tremendous strides and gives back to me, emotionally, on pretty much a daily basis. I wish I had taken more time to build more good memories for her.

Whatever your summer was like, make some good memories in these last few days that are left. Enjoy a beer (or lemonade), a brat (that’s something to eat here in Wisconsin, not what you call your kids) and some ice cream.

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