return child to problem mom? or keep?
I am SO torn and upset. My 8 yr old grandson spent spring break with us. Then his mother, my daughter, left him with us and moved out of state "to be able to support my son." But I believe she is mentally unable to do so.
Why do I think that??
She lived in a house my husband built FOR THEM for 4 years, rent free.
Her BF moved in and never paid us a dime. When he dumped her, I took up her electric bill and her father paid her car bill. She did not work other than about a month out of 4 years and complained, cried and drove around town for hours a day in a bad mood that she was broke. Crazy, huh?
About 2 months after her BF left, she let a new guy quickly move in. She "didn't know" he injected drugs. They went to a New Age church several times. Soon, he "borrowed" her car and kept it for 3 days , two or three times, so her dad reported it stolen and it was impounded. Now, no car. Her father sold it. Her "BF" dumped her. She talks to him daily and knew where he moved to so she said, "I am moving there ; it is a bigger town and I can surely get a job there to support my son." So she dumped the free house , hopped on a bus and is now in an unfurnished apartment full of "undesirables", few women, the pool is empty, her new boss up and left when she appeared (she says he's mad at her), she has roaches,
She sleeps on the floor and has no cooking utensils and she's FORTY.
She has no car, of course, and no income since her boss left for a week and no phone. She won't comment on the 2nd BF who lives in the new town.
We have had her son, 8, for almost a week and talk about a happy kid.
GONE is the nastiness, the aggressive behavior, the tired eyes. He has his own room with tv, 2 other tv's for different electronic games, bathroom,
sofa, 2 puppies. Schoolbus at our door. She called last night and he was chilly towards her. NO. We do NOT want to keep him. We are retired. But she called today, said someone stole a lot of her luggage on the bus, she has no job, she's depressed, she is scared to 'go out at night.' But she wants her son back May first. WHAT SHOULD WE DO? WE WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY THIS DARLING BOY. His mom is dysfunctional, depressed, lonely, desperate--all the things she was when she lived near to us. She is in worse shape than she was here, financially and just as depressed. It should be illegal for grandparents to turn a child over to an unemployed for 4 years single parent with a history of drug use. IS IT? She was taken to court a month ago for telephone harrassment against BF #1's family. I am so upset I can barely move. She said without her son she has nothing and might as well harm herself and it is DEMONIC that I'd try and keep him. WHAT SHOULD I DO???