Next Stop: The Twilight Zone

In a bizarre turn of events, the judge denied the mother's petition to terminate my guardianship of Sparky and Drama Boy but then ordered increased visitation with a transition schedule to return them to her custody. How does that happen?

My attorney told me this in a "how dumb can you be that you didn't know they were offering a reunification plan" tone of voice as I gaped at him and sputtered my disbelief.

The boys have been in foster care for over four years. That's 2 1/2 years after the manditory deadline for completing a case plan. Not only that, they are in a permanent placement with a legal guardian. As long as parental rights are not terminated, parents can always file a petition claiming "change of circumstances" but, after all this time and all the obvious lies and manipulation...yeah, I'm a little surprised we're now looking at placement in 4 months time.

The social worker had asked me again if I could keep both boys if there was a no contact order (the agency's recommendation) however, now that this is a reunification case, we believe that Sparky's behavior won't allow it. He will move next week. Drama Boy will stay for the time being and start weekly visits and conjoint therapy with his mom.

Now we are called upon to support Drama Boy emotionally during this transition that we so strongly oppose. As for Sparky, it is with supreme sadness and also some relief that we let him go.

It is sadly ironic that the system that tries to prevent attachment issues often is the cause of them and that the result of a child's challenging behavior due to many moves is another move. Yet we must weigh that against the safety of the other children. It is a terrible decision to have to make.