Birthday from Mommy

[Grandma_Bananarama]

Yesterday was T's 5th birthday. I will say one thing for their mother; she never misses a birthday or holiday with gifts. Because she cannot come to the house, her ..... for lack of a better word, boyfriend, dropped off his presents. Usually, he doesn't come till one in the morning. This time he came when the two oldest were home. I love my grandaughter's forthright personality. With no hesitation, she asked if he was her mommy's new boyfriend. At least he had the grace to blush. Thankfully, his visit was short and sweet.

Now, the aftermath. I have seen behavior the likes of which I haven't seen since they first came to live with me. It is now after 9 PM and he is still giving me a hard time. Whenever they are reminded of her, it takes days to get back to normal. They still have hope for their mother, even after all this time. I breaks my heart.

So I love them a little harder, am firm about the bad behavior, and try to get past this till the next time. I can say for certainty; I won't ever mind the boyfriend's waking me in the middle of the night again.

[Grandma_Bananarama]

I don't ever want them to use their lack of a mother as an excuse for bad behavior. It seems people cop out of personal responsibility these days by having to blame someone for what happens to them. Their mother isn't accountable for her actions and I'll be darned if I'll allow them to not be accountable for theirs too. The cycle has to stop somewhere.