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In reply to the discussion: Having taken in a homeless teen myself, I strongly disagree with those who are blaming the couple [View all]pnwmom
(108,995 posts)My parents had set an example for this, with one of my sister's friends. Her parents were older, and one was disabled and they both drank a lot. So she spent months at a time with us. She tells me that some of those months were spent in my room with me -- which I don't even remember, because it was so normal to have her with us. When we have family "reunions," she's always there.
My mother had also had a time of being cared for by a friend's family, and I knew about that, too.
The difference in our situation six years ago is that we had never even met the girl before we agreed she could come over -- in an emergency in the middle of the night. A couple days later, our children were helping her move her things in. We still didn't know what had gone wrong with her and her family (who lived in another city), so it was a little scary. What if SHE was the problem and not her parents? We had to trust our own teen's judgment.
Thank goodness we did! And thank goodness for the "nanny state" that helped us help her put a life back together (including counseling on a sliding fee scale -- so almost nothing.)
Wow -- you were the only one left with a parent? And to make it out? So you understand what teens can go through. Too many people don't.
I'm so glad you made it! All the best for you going forward.