[Bippette]

It's been a little over a week since he showed up and asked if he could spend the night the first time. Since then he's spent more nights at our house than not.

He's been extremely polite and considerate. He asks if he can stay. When I got home on Friday he asked if I would help him pick out his classes (online) and finish his enrollment. We did that together.

I asked him if he was still intending to get the apartment next month that he'd been telling us about. He hemmed and hawed and couldn't answer questions I had about the apartment.

A friend called him, and it was obvious from his side of the conversation that he had a date. I asked him about it, and he said he had a date, but no money to take her out. I asked him where all of his money was going. He's working full time, he shouldn't be broke all the time. He said "It's expensive living on your own because you have to eat out every meal." I responded "But you aren't paying rent any where?" And he said "Yeah, but the places I'm staying I have to pay them back for groceries and stuff." The last time he was on his own, he was a parentless kid trying to get by. I think he thought when he left our house it would be the same way. But now he's 18 and people see him as a mooch instead of feeling sorry for him....that would be my guess anyway.

Coach and I decided that we aren't going to let him "use us", but we should be his safety net....goodness knows he's never had one before.

His old bedroom has already been given to our oldest daughter, but he can sleep on the couch when he has nowhere else to sleep. And hopefully he'll get an apartment when he gets his money after school starts.

He's such a lovable kid when he's sober and acting right. I hope it's a sign that he's growing up a little....and not just him trying to con us. This is the first time that I've really felt he was appreciative of having a place with us to stay.

[athikers]

I'm glad things seem to be turning around a bit

[Perfect7]

That sounds great, Bippette! It's amazing what a dose of the real world will do for a reality check and make you appreciate what you had. Hope it lasts!