Thank you, Nancy. Except for the adoption aspect of your situation, everything you said applies to us and to our difficult child. I wish science had a better understanding of the question we both have - Why, why, why throw your life away when you once had the world at your feet? difficult child has never been abused, has never been hungry, has never been neglected or gone without something she needed. She's had the best in medical care, dental care, highly rated private school, love, attention, you name it. Yet all she wants to do is spend time with her substance using "crew" hanging around aimlessly in the streets doing nothing. All her life she has wanted to be a veterinarian; that's all she talked about. Her father and I have been putting away money for years to pay for that. Yet now? She tells me she doesn't know if she wants to go off to college because she doesn't want to leave her friends. What? Are you kidding me? Right now, one of those friends is in jail and another is on house arrest. Yesterday I find out another is failing 9th grade and will be repeating it next year. That's what you want to give up your dreams for? So you can hang around in the streets or in someone's basement drinking and getting high and being essentially useless?
At one time, difficult child had such high aspirations for herself. I do not understand what happened. I just don't understand it at all. I'm preaching to the choir, I know. It's sad.
