Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Progress...perhaps...

Well, we finally visited the psychiatrist. He was an arrogant ass, but will do what we need. We scheduled a second appointment for us to sit and co-author a letter of recommendation to get DD further evaluated and hopefully accepted into a RAD specialized facility. I will actually write the letter, get input from her therapist next week, then take it to him on a pin drive and tell him to just print it on his letterhead. He was a buffoon and now I know why he had an open schedule when no one else on our insurance plan within 50 miles had anything until the end of the year. Anyway--it appears he will serve his purpose.

DD is very excited to go, which is good I guess, I don't want her to be afraid, but also so symptomatic of her diagnosis. Any other kid would be freaking out. She sees it as the next new thing. She is used to getting a new environment every six months to a year--a new family, new school, new friends, new everything. Being "stuck" with us for two years has been difficult for her. Long-term commitment and consequences are foreign and uncomfortable for her. No attachment to us at all. Stings a bit, ya know.

Last week she got into a fight at camp. The counselor had to pull the girls apart and get their nails out of each other. Of course, it was totally the other girls fault. DD was totally innocent and didn't do anything to provoke the girl-well, except grab and run away with the ball she was playing with. Hmmmm...

Tonight at 7:00 PM she kept coming halfway down the stairs and going back up. I realized that she was waiting to get my husband alone--never wanting to confront me. So, on her fourth descent I asked her what she wanted. She said she needed to ask DH something. I told her to ask me. She again insisted that she just needed to ask him something. He stepped up behind me and told her to ask.

She asked if she could go to a concert tonight. She is 12. She said her friend-- someone we've never met--asked her to go to the Keith Urban concert tonight. Said she had an extra ticket and because this other girl is from Australia and she "knew him back there" that Keith gave her two front row tickets, was picking them up in a limo, then taking them backstage and then to an after party downtown. She is 12.

Even if any part of this other girl's story is even remotely true, she is 12. And it was already 7:00 PM. DD couldn't understand our confusion over this big invite at the last minute. She said this other girl she just met at camp is from Australia, living in foster care here, waiting to be adopted. DD was livid with us for saying no. She demanded to eat dinner at a different time than us [honestly, a relief for us]. She sincerely thought we would just say yes because it was "her first concert." I tried to explain to her that I wouldn't even let a 17-year old leave this house with that itinerary without knowing more information. When I asked who was the chaperone, she said the girl only had two tickets--no chaperone. Nothing made sense. She had no complete answers and no one called us to ask if this was OK--adult or child. So, is my DD just delusional? Is she the victim of a prank? Is this Aussie girl as messed up and these two damaged little girls found each other?

If I stretch my brain I maybe could imagine someone writing a letter to Urban about a poor Aussie orphan stuck here in Austin [how she got here, DD does not know] and him sending tickets, but the rest just seems so far fetched. Even if I read a headline tomorrow about the poor foster kid getting big attention from Urban in his limo, backstage, and at a party, I will not feel bad. At 7:00 PM on the night of the concert, with no real information, it just was not a real option for DD. Urban himself would have to knock on my door for me to possibly consider any of this valid. I am such a mean mom.

2 comments:

Just Me said...

Big hugs to you.....I've been checking for updates. I will keep praying that she gets in the facility that can help her - and for you and the rest of the family too.

Angie Feldman said...

Cynthia ....you've been tagged...see my blog for instructions!