Save the world one child at a time

I have been spending a fair amount of time working individually with some of the kids at the adolescent home. There is one in particular that seems to look forward to my visits; I will refer to him as Tigger. Tigger is really angry and his mom is apparently suffering from some psychological issues. He is prone to fits of rage and has a particular lack of respect for woman. Tigger seems to enjoy hanging out with me and we play a lot of basketball, racquetball and foosball. We laugh and have a good time but he has yet to open up emotionally. I am going to try to get him out of the home for a trip to the beach or something to see if he will talk with me.

Too busy for Clickerville

I believe that you must strive to live in a manner that reflects your core belief system. Lately I have been all but absent from Clickerville, but I wonder if I am beginning to burn out a bit. Following is my schedule for the last week or so:

3/16: Work and sports banquet for B
3/17: Work
3/18: Work, make supper then meditation class with D
3/19: Work and Cadet Group
3/20: Adolescent group home
3/21 – 22: Take Cadet Group to overnight trip on USS Salem battleship
3/23 – 3/25: Snowmobiling near Canada with J
3/26: Work and Cadet Group
3/27: Work and Adolescent Home
3/28 – 29: Work and time with family

It is a pretty insane schedule and while I feel tired, I truly believe that I am making the most of my short time on this planet.

I stopped taking Lexapro on Monday and I do not feel any worse for it. I will continue with the Adderall for as long as I need it.

Sledding with J was fabulous. It was a great Father and Son bonding experience.

The trip with the Cadet Group was also fabulous. Everything went well and both staff and the cadets had a great time.

I went to the Y to lift weights with the boys from the adolescent home last Friday and then we went to see “Knowing” which was a decent movie.

I do feel like I am neglecting B a bit. We still walk most school mornings but we have only been boarding twice and have not been running together at all. I need to spend some more time with him. Perhaps I will take him to the climbing gym this weekend.

I worry a lot about my back taxes and wonder when Uncle Sam will come pounding on my door. I need to spend more time with my finances.

Broken hearts everywhere

Yesterday I went to see my 17 year-old nephew C. He just broke up with his girlfriend of 13 months and has been acting out as of late. Like my son, this was his first breakup. Apparently his former girlfriend hangs out with kids that C says are involved with drugs and partying and she was lying to him about it. Sitting across from him at a table inside Starbucks, I could see he was struggling emotionally. Whith his head hung low and a look of dejection on his face, he appeared to be broken and hopeless. However, when I told him I had scheduled our vacation week up at the lake, he perked up a bit. We always take him with us and I know he looks forward to the trip with great anticipation.

I started reading a new book called “Teen Whisperer” by Mike Linderman. I am impressed with the author already and he and I have many things in common. I look forward to learning more about his approach to counseling teens.

Young Love

Saturday I held my sobbing sixteen year-old son in my arms. B had his heart broken by his first girlfriend whom he loved deeply. I had never expected the relationship to last because they seldom do in high school. But against all odds they stayed together for approximately six months. And they loved each other’s company. They would talk on the phone for hours and laugh and play much to my delight. I am always happy when B enjoys being a child, an opportunity I never got to enjoy. My heart ached as I wrestled with mixed emotions. I am thankful that B and I have the kind of relationship where he can share with me his deep-felt sorrow. I also think it is good that a sixteen year-old will allow himself to cry as he will likely work through the grieving process more quickly. But it was gut wrenching to see him in such a sad state.

All good things......

This morning it was cold and rainy when B and I took A for her walk. I suspect our sledding and snowboarding season is coming to an end soon.

I am enjoying working with the cadet group. I finally accepted the position of XO so I guess I will be there for a while. Soon, we will be spending a weekend aboard the USS Salem and I am excited about the visit. I always enjoy my time aboard the venerable battleship.

Switch to Dunkin???? Never!

Lately I have been feeling a bit guilty about some of my spending habits. Many people I associate with including parents and staff from the cadet group as well as my own sisters have significantly less financial resources then I do. Most mornings you will find me sitting in my elitist coffee shop wearing my $160 North Face jacket and $120 Keen shoes drinking a $5 triple-venti-no-whipped mocha. Yesterday I decided to change all that; Today I am sitting in my elitist coffee shop wearing my $160 North Face jacket and $120 Keen shoes drinking a $2.75 Café Au Lait. Now I feel much better.

Working hard

Life has been pretty frantic lately. I am working my butt off but still spending lots of time with the family, cadet group and adolescent home. My mood has been great due in part to some changes I made to my meds. I now take one Adderall in the morning and another after lunch. I take the Lexapro before I go to bed. I love work right now and I have been super productive.

Last night at drill I finally accepted the CO's request to take over the position of XO (Executive Officer). I have decided against starting my own unit as I am quite happy working with the unit in Boston. We started a new recruit training class and we brought eight new kids into the unit.

File this posting under "life is good". ;-)

Conquering Mt. Aggie

Tuesday, another staff member (K) and I successfully summited Mt. Agamentus along with five kids from the adolescent home. K and I were subjected to a reasonable amount of whining and complaining but no more than I expected. We did have a couple of minor conflicts with some of the kids but we resolved them quickly and overall a good time was had by all. It was a beautiful day with fresh snow and temps in the low 30's when the sign was shining and the wind wasn’t blowing.

Unfortunately, my preplanning efforts were not completely successful as all of the girls ignored most of my outerwear suggestions and wore tight fitting jeans with no base layer (there would be no room for a base layer). When snow-shoeing, the snow tends to be kicked up on the back of one’s pants so the girls were all soaked and cold before we reached the summit. Hopefully they will learn from this experience and in the future will heed my advice to dress for the elements, not for the boys.

It was interesting to watch one particular girl with a rather low cut shirt and push up bra attempt to keep her assets exposed even though at times it was quite cold, 10 to 15 degrees with the wind chill. I desperately want to show her how she is devaluing herself and the attention she may get is not the kind that she really wants. However, I am unsure how to attain such a lofty objective but determined to find an answer.

Enjoying the snow

Today I am taking some kids from the adolescent home snowshoeing. We hope to climb a small mountain in York Maine. I am a little anxious as I am uncertain as to how I will handle the inevitable bitching about the cold and the length of the hike. I have found that when working with adolescents it can be difficult to balance safety with the desire to successfully complete the objective. I am also a bit concerned about how prepared the kids will be. Let's hope they are dressed for success.

Yesterday I enjoyed a fabulous day snowboarding with B. The conditions were outstanding and there were no lines at the lifts. I am so fortunate to be able to spend time with my son doing what I love.

Spring is coming

Sunday night we received another 15” of snow. I still love the snow but a lot of people are becoming bitchy over the weather. I know Spring will be her soon so it does not bother me. I actually enjoy the bitter cold and snow knowing it will be gone soon.

Sunday J and I went sledding. We had a fabulous time up until we found out that the gas station we were counting on to get home was closed. I still had plenty of fuel so I left J there and continued back to get the truck. Lesson of the day was to call ahead to check business hours for any gas stations we might need to use.

Friday night I took the kids from the adolescent home to an indoor rock climbing gym. I am really starting to feel comfortable with the kids and staff. Apparently they feel the same way about me. I really enjoy working with the kids. I wish I could do this as a job.