Finally, peace

Finally, we have peace. We met with Levi's treatment team yesterday and now we KNOW.  We did make the right decision in moving him to the placement he is in.

Levi is absolutely thriving in his home and in school.  The purpose of our meeting was to develop an Individual Support Plan (ISP) which is similar to an IEP but it addresses life skills and daily activities instead of educational services.  Levi's treatment staff TOTALLY gets him and we are so thankful for that.  Even more importantly, they truly care about him.  Per the plan that was developed yesterday, Levi will get weekly counseling. He will be taken to the public library (he is an avid reader) twice a week, he will work with animals (either at the humane society or he will participate in horse therapy) twice a week, and he will get to go to a skate park twice a week.  He is thriving in school and he is forming relationships with the other boys in his home.  He has made new friends at school and he is actively participating in making sure he keeps up with his homework.  All of this is SO ENCOURAGING.

What more could we ask for?  Our preference would be for Levi to live at home and prosper as he is currently.  Unfortunately, we do not live in a county that can meet his needs.  So, we have changed our expectations and we are grateful for the services Levi is receiving in the Albertina Kerr program.  After all, this is not about us, it is about helping him to be successful.

To come to this peace we have had to adjust our expectations.  Levi's therapist has told us that some kids never achieve the skills needed to live in a family setting.  She was not predicting this for Levi but it was a necessary reality check for us.  Our long-term goal is to bring our boy home, but the overreaching goal is to help him thrive, however that happens.

We will take each day as it comes. The process of helping Levi will undoubtedly be slower than we would hope.  That is unavoidable.  For now, we have a peaceful home and we have an improved relationship with our son in the absence of the chaos that overshadowed our life at home.  Life is complicated, isn't it?  Parenting is not what we thought it would be, but we do not regret our choices for a single moment. Yes, it is complicated.