Just came off the front porch with my amazing 18 year old Ce Ce. She had her first date last week-end which was somewhat fun and confusing. Ce Ce may be 18 but she's really going on 30. Isaiah is her younger brother and from about the age of 9 she raised not only him, but a younger sister( who at that time was only about 12 months of age) until they were adopted into a family here in the U.S.A. She has sacrificed as only a mother can do, she has defended, as only a mother can do, and protected, as only a mother can do, for her younger brother and sister. She thinks much older, but wants to have what is rightfully hers, some fun, and attention, as a beautiful young woman.

In saying that, she is somewhat not familiar with the dating game as it is today, and not prepared either. Two of her friends came from North Carolina, one who she knew in the orphanage in Liberia, and another she had met when she was abandoned by her first family and forced to go and live in N.C. She was looking forward to a couple of days of catching up and having some fun, going to a movie etc., but found her ideas were somewhat different from theirs. Luckily she has a Mum and a Dad she could turn to, who could explain some of the facts of our time. She is working out keeping those friendships without hurting feelings.

Isaiah, in recognizing he did not have any privileges left, decided, quite rightly that maybe he should change his tune. What was sad in all of this, was when I gave him back his camera (which is never off his person) he looked at it and back at me and said very quietly, "I didn't think you would give that back". I have since found out that his previous U.S. family, took away but never gave back. That is not discipline, it is mean. Discipline and structure is " the carrot and the stick" meaning the stick is not a big rubber hose, or whipping belt, but something you "pray" or "think" about, not use in anger because you can't think of anything else. I am glad he has learned this lesson for this time, I fear we "will" go here again several times before he gets it.

Today I posted "casting" for my play at the Christian School where 6 of my kids attend. This is an exciting adventure for all of us. We are doing a musical version of "Scrooge" and I will keep you posted on what happens as all of this unfolds. From day one (two weeks ago) to now, more and more of them seem to want to join the ranks with Mum and become an actor, singer or dancer, whichever fits, and be part of a new adventure that I seem to have stumbled upon.

Since starting this blog and finishing it, Rog and I have had a wonderful and funny conversation with Isaiah, who still is trying to figure it all out. How can we love him, in spite of him doing annoying things on a regular basis, not getting the eating (not with our hands) thing, the manners thing, the sharing thing, the being one of family thing, the just being yourself thing. It takes time; that we have (hopefully) a lot of. Tonight I feel I have imparted so much of the things I have learned into two young lives. Whether they realize what we have offered is probably the same time frame as all of our others. Suddenly they got to about 22, and said "Gee, Mum and Dad, you learned a lot in the last year!"