More on the boy my family has mentored for 13 years...
As I was saying yesterday, the movie "Blind Side," was excellent but it made me so sad. Not knowing all the details of the story with this boy you're probably wondering, "Well, why didn't you take him into your home? Can't you give him money or a place to stay?" But nothing is as easy as it appears. The infestation of bed bugs has become an epidemic. Let's call the boy, "Tom." Tom constantly has bites all over his arms from all the places he stays. We have him work for money constantly at my parents house and our house. In fact, my husband and I payed him $100 a week all summer to do yard work at our house. His neighborhood is extremely dangerous and I no longer feel safe picking him up. He rode the bus for TWO AND A HALF HOURS every Monday just to make that money. We thought about taking him in or having him live at one of our rental properties but the truth is, he will become more depressed if he doesn't live near any friends. He doesn't have a driver's license nor could he afford a car anyway. He needs to be close to a bus service for a job, which he wouldn't have access to at one of our rental properties. He would be isolated in a primarily white community without any support of friends or a job. For years we have bought him clothes, shoes, and given him money. Our family is at a standstill and we do not know what to do; we feel as though we've failed him. Thinking about him hungry and without a home hurts my heart. It is all I can do to not think about it because it makes me so sad. We wanted to have him for Christmas but he has bed bugs. What do you do then?
The second reason I was hesitant to see the movie is because being a teacher (even in what you think would be a higher-end socio-economic class) I deal with children with horrific home lives on a daily basis. The sad thing is, people have no clue because they think that the community I work in is on average, all children from lower to upper middle class. The school I work in is where the district sends all the lower socio-economic students. It isn't "planned" like that but they all live in the same area of the district. Sadly, many of my kids have never had a bedroom; let alone a bed. They come in disheveled, hungry, no coat, bed bugs crawling all over them! The neglect is at an all time high and I constantly feel as though I'm calling Children Services.
I was worried this movie wouldn't be a good escape for me; which is what I need over the holiday break. In summary, the movie was terrific, but it definitely wasn't the comedic relief I needed.
Weight - 119.6 lbs.
Exercise - None
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast -
Jenny Craig Breakfast Stuffed Sandwich
Banana
1 cup fat-free organic milk
Lunch -
1 slice fat-free bologna with 2 slices whole wheat bread and 1 tbsp. fat-free mayo
Cherry tomatoes
fat-free yogurt
sugar-free jello
Snack -
2 clementines
Dinner -
Phyllo Dough crust with roma tomatoes, fat-free feta-cheese, basil, pepper, parmesan cheese
Salad (romaine lettuce, tomatoes, peppers)
2 tbsp. light ranch
Snack -
100 calorie pack
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