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My Life is Changing Fast
- Feb 8, 2008 at 9:50 AM
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- Comments (7) Total Views (152) Everyone can see this journal post.
Can you believe that my life literally changed overnight? Two weeks ago my eldest granddaughter called to say, "Come and get me. I want to live with you. Mom and Dad are kicking me out." We knew things had been bad at home for her for quite awhile, actually ever since she turned eighteen in the summer. When school started and her parents would not let her take the bus over to my house to get help with her schoolwork, she decided to just quit trying. She didn't hand in homework, didn't study for tests, stayed out late with friends, and ended up in a lot of trouble with her folks. Her grades plummeted to mostly F's.
We told her that she could move in with us on the condition that she must get all passing grades, do ALL of her schoolwork, never lie to us about anything, and follow the rules of our house. Now this is an eighteen-year-old who never really put much effort into her schoolwork, except for math and music. Here we expect her to work on homework all evening until she is done, and sometimes she must get up at 5:00 a.m. to complete an assignment. We put education first. It comes before television, listening to music, playing computer games, etc.
At first she was very resistant to the change. If something was the least bit hard, she wanted to quit. She would have been quite willing to take an F over putting forth the extra effort to get the work done and understood. My hubbie and I are a unified team. We are relentless. One night we told her we'd all sit there until she got the assignment done. We said we didn't care if she had to stay up until midnight. We are willing to help explain what she doesn't understand and will even tell her the page where she can find the answer if necessary, but we won't let her give up and quit. She sat there about ten minutes doing nothing. When she realized we meant what we said, then she got busy and had the work done by 8:45 p.m.
This week has gone much better, but they surely do pile on the homework. Last night she only had homework in two classes, but she was working on it till 10:00 p.m. and got up this morning at 5:15 to do something she'd forgotten about doing. What a trouper! I think right now she probably is carrying a "B" average in most classes. We have let her know a failing grade is never acceptable. We would accept a "D" as long as she is trying her best, but hope with the effort she is showing right now that she will do well living with us.
One thing is for sure. She is happy. She heeps her room immaculate, is beginning to lose weight, and is so appreciative of anything I buy for her. Since she weighs 240 pounds, we are careful about the foods we have in the house for snacking. We are drinking green tea, as it is supposed to change your metabolism and help you lose weight. I have already noticed a change in my waistline since I started drinking green tea and eliminating coffee and soda. Because she only came to me with three ill-fitting outfits, we have been shopping a couple of times for the essentials. I want her to look nice and feel good about herself.
I will catch everyone up on the saga as life continues to change for both me and my granddaughter. I hope I will be able to report that all this hard work is worth it and that she will do well in school and in life.
Deanna
Comments:
I was wondering why I haven't heard from you...now I know! Sounds like she's getting on track. How's your writing coming? Any time for that? I know you love it! Let me know when you have some"free time" & you can come over for lunch. I would love that!
Talk to you soon!
Marty
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She is blessed to have you in her life. You are making a difference & she will carry your gift with her throughout her life!
- Gram12of15
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