Today is a bad day. Work-wise, anyway. And no, not because of the new job - that is awesome. In fact, I am being kept away from my fun new work. Today I am finishing up some work at the juvenile court. Specifically, I am in a trial involving two horrible people who, unfortunately, procreated. Actually, the kids are pretty great, considering. It's just unfortunate that they have these two as parents.
The parents were sharing joint custody. The father petitioned for full custody, based on some new (and true) information regarding the mother's drug use. Turns out he's been hitting the kids. The upshot is that, after a long, nasty day of testimony, these two teenagers will most likely be in the legal custody of the state of Tennessee by tonight. Yuck. And if you only knew this ex-couple.....
Anyway, please be praying. I'm also waiting to hear back on something I've applied for (no, not another job) that I'm not sure I'll get. I'm pretty much a walking ball of tension today. Friday can't come quickly enough.
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Update:
The trial is over. The kids have gone home with dad, although under court order for family counseling, including anger management. Mother has been told to get her act together, and the court might be willing to consider reinstating visitation. Ugh. These poor kids. It's over, for me, but their lives will never be the same. They have lived with their mother most of their lives, and now, because of the hold that heroin, oxycontin, marijuana, and meth have taken over her during the last year or so, they probably never will live with her again. Until today, she was unwilling to admit she had a problem. Today she said she would do whatever it took to keep her kids. The court said too-little, too-late.
These are the cases I want people who minimize the impact of illicit drugs to have to sit in on. I want them to watch the families in tears, torn apart by the very nature of addiction.
I'm glad I'm getting out of this field, but my heart breaks too, because it's a growing field, not a shrinking one, and people are needed who can make this their vocation.
The parents were sharing joint custody. The father petitioned for full custody, based on some new (and true) information regarding the mother's drug use. Turns out he's been hitting the kids. The upshot is that, after a long, nasty day of testimony, these two teenagers will most likely be in the legal custody of the state of Tennessee by tonight. Yuck. And if you only knew this ex-couple.....
Anyway, please be praying. I'm also waiting to hear back on something I've applied for (no, not another job) that I'm not sure I'll get. I'm pretty much a walking ball of tension today. Friday can't come quickly enough.
*******************************************************
Update:
The trial is over. The kids have gone home with dad, although under court order for family counseling, including anger management. Mother has been told to get her act together, and the court might be willing to consider reinstating visitation. Ugh. These poor kids. It's over, for me, but their lives will never be the same. They have lived with their mother most of their lives, and now, because of the hold that heroin, oxycontin, marijuana, and meth have taken over her during the last year or so, they probably never will live with her again. Until today, she was unwilling to admit she had a problem. Today she said she would do whatever it took to keep her kids. The court said too-little, too-late.
These are the cases I want people who minimize the impact of illicit drugs to have to sit in on. I want them to watch the families in tears, torn apart by the very nature of addiction.
I'm glad I'm getting out of this field, but my heart breaks too, because it's a growing field, not a shrinking one, and people are needed who can make this their vocation.
