A couple of weeks ago, I finally moved in with my husband, which was supposed to be the beginning of a wonderful chapter in our lives. I had no idea that my husband’s 15-year-old son from a previous marriage, named Dave, would prove to be a difficult obstacle to overcome. Though I knew there would be some period of adaptation, I did not expect such an attitude towards my efforts to make the house our cozy place in the form of piles of garbage that Dave, as if on purpose, left scattered throughout the house.
At first, I thought it was a temporary situation, perhaps a teenager’s version of chaos. But days turned into weeks, and the mess only seemed to grow. Empty chip bags, crumpled papers, and discarded clothes adorned every corner of our once-pristine home. It was as if a tornado of teenage negligence had swept through, leaving behind a debris field that would shock even a loving mother.
My comments and requests for cleanliness had no effect on him at all. It was like talking to a wall. I wanted to stop this and somehow decided to act outside the box.
One day, when Dave left for school, I came up with a plan. I was going to defeat this trash invasion, which required a strategy that went beyond mere words. Wandering around the house, armed with trash bags and determination, I picked up every piece of clutter that had settled into our home. I was on a mission to teach Dave a lesson in responsibility.
His room, the center of chaos, was my first target. When I walked in, I was greeted by clothes strewn across the floor, a maze of crumpled papers, and a collection of half-empty soda cans. Without pleasure, but with a feeling of determination, I began to put all the items that were scattered in garbage bags. Papers, cans, his clothes, everything was packed into the bags together. In the end, the room gradually turned from a disaster zone into something resembling order. I packed all the scattered clothes with other trash in a bags.
A similar fate befell the living room, kitchen, and even the bathroom. It was a time-consuming task, but I was sure that if words could not reach him, perhaps these bags would show him how much of a mess he left behind.
Family fostered a 12-year-old boy that nobody wants – But soon they realized who he really is
According to recent data presented by the Children’s Bureau, the number of children in foster care nationwide is approximately 424,000. In Tennessee only, there are slightly less than 8,000 children who are waiting to be reunited with their families or find a forever home with people who would love them unconditionally. The sad reality is that the number of foster families in this state is less than 4,000.
Up until recently, one of those kids who found themselves in the system was 12-year-old Andrew from Nashville. This lovely boy spent half his life going from one family to another. However, that changed when he was welcomed in by a special foster family; the Gills.
Kevin and Dominique Gill have a son on their own, Joc, who made very good friends with Andrew the moment they first met. The boys just love hanging out together. They spend their time playing games, taking walks, and doing a bunch of fun stuff. Realizing how close the boys became, Kevin and Dominique decided to let them be best friends forever by filing adoption papers.
Andrew had no idea he was about to become an official member of the Gill family. One day, as he was taking a walk at the park with Molly Parker, an employee at the Youth Villages, he was met with the news that his foster parents are adopting him.
“I just turned around the corner and saw everybody,” Andrew said. “They asked ‘will you?’ and I said ‘yeah!’
Besides being best friends, these boys now became brothers. Isn’t that the most beautiful thing ever?
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