Details...

As we have learned with each placement, there is always more to the story.  Yesterday afternoon I had decided that the villain of this story was the bio mom, determined to ruin a safe and stable home for J and L.  It's a story you hear a lot, so it was easy to jump to that conclusion.

Come to find out, the fight was not between J and a neighbor though, but between J and the adopted daughter of the foster parents.  Now for millions of reasons I cannot even begin to relate to the bio mom, but if Charlie were staying with a family and ended up in an altercation with a child 2 years older than him and walked away with serious scratches on his face and arms, I would want him removed -- no questions asked.

It's not necessarily fair, and I truly don't believe it was in the best interest of the children in this case, but she can't know that.  And despite the fact that her actions and choices led to L's and J's placement in this home, I think that I can understand how the combined guilt, powerlessness, fear and anger would blind me to explanations.  So as much as I am second guessing this situation on many levels, I can empathize with a mother's love that got us all here.

A few weeks back Charlie was observing some family friends who have 11 children and he stated, "Mom, you're not that kind of mom."  Slightly offended at first, I had to agree he was right.  One child seems to be my sweet spot, two is fun from time to time, but three is...something. 

We will definitely survive this and possibly even thrive, but less than 24 hours in, Jason and I are wondering if we're completely nuts.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

(I Corinthians 1:18)