Thank you so much for your thoughtful words, GigTu! Yes, I am absolutely exhausted, to be honest. And yes, just a couple of weeks after my ex and I let her have a phone back (after what happened, she didn't have one for a year; her old phone is still in police custody), she sneaked out of her father's house in the middle of the night. Thank goodness, a patrolling officer saw her walking along the road with a male classmate at three o'clock in the morning -in late December, and we live in Michigan- and brought her home. They had walked two miles to a 24-hour, big box store, bought a couple of cans of air duster and were on their way to the boy's home when the officer saw them. If it weren't for him, she really could have easily been run over by a car or died from huffing. Needless to say, I took some coffee and doughnuts to the station the following morning.
She basically requires around-the-clock supervision for safety reasons (she also self-harms). I had to have a security system installed for this reason. I also have a 12-year-old son; some of his friends are not allowed to have sleepovers or even come over just to play at my house or my ex's, because of his sister's behavior (and I understand their parents' position completely).
All of this makes me really sad, but I am their mama, so I have to keep trying the best I can.
When my daughter and the 18-year-old started communicating, her father and I had just started our divorce proceedings. Even though I was the one who filed, I went into a deep depression, to the point where I had to take some time away from work, so that I could be treated as an inpatient. In the meantime, my ex started dating a co-worker and bringing her home even on the days the kids were to stay with him. So the timing was definitely not coincidental. I'm sure she felt neglected, and she really was ... :redface:.
Anyway, I will stop now! Just wanted to share my perspective as someone "who's been there," so to speak ... and does not wish it upon her worst enemy.
