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Halcyon
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OMG! So out of boredom I followed the link to her business site. Randomly scrolling while listing to something else I found this posted April 19:

 

 

"One of the things I will be offering at the salon are Pet Parenting Classes.

I have a home grooming class, pet first aid class in the works for May and June. Schedule to come soon."

 

She is offering pet PARENTING classes!

 

Oh the irony...

Shockingly ironic...and on the pet grooming renovation page she happily announces that 'groomer Nicole will offer in-home grooming' where customers can save the gas AND Nicole will do all the cleanup! Yikes:(

The cynic in me wonders if she will still offer that service now that she no longer will be able to bring one of her children to clean up for her😟

 

The whole situation makes me sick and angry.

 

http://blessedlittlegroomingcompany.com/amazing-salon-makeover/

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This was a comment on their FB page a few hours ago:

 

"Mom and Dad have done absolutely NOTHING to provide a shelter & sustain this lifestyle they want everyone to believe they live. They are literally, winging it, at their kid's expense. Volunteers had to come in & build the "cabin" portion they live in, because the father was completely ignorant & lazy as to how to do it. It wasn't big enough for all 12 of them so the children are the ones who went out & cut down all the sticks to build the fence around the "kitchen" and strung the tarps so they wouldn't get rained on while they cooked. The children are the ones who've constructed every fence on the property, dug every garden, and planted every seed. Nicole herself said the children have built and constructed everything you see in the pictures with their own bare hands. And she wasn't exaggerating. The tables, the shelves, the beds, the firepits, the stoves, the garden, EVERYTHING has been built by the children. Which is exactly why it looks like a fort built by children. Because it IS. The children dug all the trenches for rain run-off, they feed and take care of all the animals, they supervise one another and stand guard on the "farm" while dad sits in the "cabin" on WiFi or sleeps. The children cook all their own meals on a makeshift brick stove and are in charge of all of the cleaning, clearing off of land, and washing clothes. They work from sun up to sun down under the guise of "learning" and "play". The children are the ones who empty the buckets filled with feces they use for toilets. The parents do nothing but beg while the poor children pick up all the slack (oh I forgot the Mom sells dog bows. And yes, the children are the ones who make the bows too) The 10 children have literally built their parents a place to reproduce. I am so glad the children have survived this long being their own parents, it's truly a miracle. These kids may be healthy, but its no thanks to Mom and Dad, it's thanks the eldest son and daughter."

 

:crying: 

 

 

I cannot like your post.  I just can't.  The travesty of this is overwhelmingly heartbreaking.

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But this isn't about homesteading, IMO. It's about child neglect, (possible) mental illness, (possible) addiction, (possible) spousal abuse.

 

I thought Someone on The Other Thread had said this family basically become homeless when they moved out there to the land. I can't find the post but I've been turning that thought over and over...

 

 

I feel that the bolded is a fair assessment. There is no "home" on the property.  I also think it is horribly neglectful that they haven't sought assistance.  It would be one issue if it were just the adults.  It would still be a sad case that they were having to scrap it out like that, but as adults, they can make the decision to refuse to seek assistance without effect on others.  With children in the mix, however, it is a case of neglect (IMO) to willfully eschew public assistance services in favour of subjecting children incapable of consent to that level of destitution and egregious hygiene.

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Sidetrack comment of the day: i seriously hate the term "pet parenting." I saw this at Petsmart. It really irks me.

 

On my FB feed, I saw a lot of happy Mothers' Day wishes to "fur mothers," and I felt like a jerk, but I totally wanted to tell people to stop equating their dogs with my kids. 

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I was talking recently with a father of two preschoolers. He told me that one of his co-workers likes to talk about how taking care of her dog is like raising a child, only she has it harder because kids grow up and move out but she has to take care of her dog its whole life.

Someone once told me, straight face, "I've taken care of cats all my life. A kid should be no problem."

 

Since the arrival of this person's baby, I've resisted the urge to call and repeat the statement.

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I have a dog...well, my husband has a dog.  The dog and I tolerate each other.   My husband has a cat who likes to sleep on my pillow, follow me around all day, sit in my lap(I think maybe I have a cat somehow??) and throw up on our sheets.  

 

There is no way I would take the cat or the dog to her to be groomed.  I saw the homestead pictures and videos-the ones they released publicly.  I'm not an animal person, but there is nothing in those pictures that makes me think she would be someone I would trust to get the animals clean and well groomed.

 

Talk about bad p.r.  I actually hope she can overcome this in case they do get their kids back, but I  wouldn't be comfortable using her services.

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I feel that the bolded is a fair assessment. There is no "home" on the property.  I also think it is horribly neglectful that they haven't sought assistance.  It would be one issue if it were just the adults.  It would still be a sad case that they were having to scrap it out like that, but as adults, they can make the decision to refuse to seek assistance without effect on others.  With children in the mix, however, it is a case of neglect (IMO) to willfully eschew public assistance services in favour of subjecting children incapable of consent to that level of destitution and egregious hygiene.

 

Yes exactly.

 

If there were just adults living there (no animals, either -- they are not capable of consent to THAT) I'd shrug my shoulders and say they had a right to live that way if they so choose.

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so, this would be a bad time to admit that my dogs gave me a mother's day card.....? They did. Watercolor paw prints and everything.

the word that makes my skin crawl is furbaby. Mostly because everyone I've ever met who's used that word has been a total turd.

 

But while I do recognize the difference between kids & pets (though ds complains constantly that he doesn't know if I'm talking to him or the dogs - "you are such a silly brat, aren't you? Do you think we should go out soon? Who's my favourite boy?"  - I also recognize that for many people, pets fill the social niche that children do.... I don't actually know wth pet parenting is though. I train. I can teach people to house train, to do tricks and stuff but I'm not quite sure what pet parenting is....

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I was really busy today and got to the other thread too late. Glad I found the after party. 

 

Based on that link to the comment near the end of the last thread, it sounds like the wife was fairly self-sufficient and normal before the husband showed up. Within a few months she was evicted and they were homeless. Take it for what it's worth, though. The poster's source was anonymous. Makes me wonder how each would have turned out if they'd never met. My instinct is she would have turned out better than he would have.

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In related news, after the hearing this morning, the Stanleys have regained full custody of the 4 younger kids, but the three who are in PS are "still under state custody for some services." I do think the older ones need some continued protection against retaliation. There have been some really snotty victim-blaming posts on their FB page about the teens "manipulating" the CPS workers into backing their refusal to do chores, and how poor Michele is having to do so much cooking and laundry and cleaning now that the older ones "won't do their share" (which I suspect was a lot more than just "their share"), complaining that the teens' bad attitude is trickling down to the youngers who think they don't have to obey anymore, how the teens' rebellious behavior has torn the family apart and the parents should just put them back in foster care and leave them there, etc.

 

The next hearing is in July. I hope the judge lets the older kids continue in PS, if that's their choice, and keeps some kind of protection in place for them.  I worry about what will happen to them, especially to the 16 year old, if CPS just closes the case.  :sad:

 

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I thought Someone on The Other Thread had said this family basically become homeless when they moved out there to the land. I can't find the post but I've been turning that thought over and over...

 

That was me. I was thinking about how families lose their houses, apartments, trailers, etc and the land on which that housing exists. If they have no family, friends, or shelter to take them in, they often live in their car or camp. This family had land even after they lost their pre-fab and their "home" looks like something a homeless family would try to cobble together if they managed to stay in one place long enough without the authorities moving them along. Not that this family's only problem is homelessness. They're not just down on their luck, they have other serious issues.

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Stanleys?  Another family?

 

There was a long thread about them a few weeks ago. Hal and Michele Stanley are another off-grid, govt-hating, anti-vaxing, homesteading/homeschooling/homebirthing family whose 7 kids (that were still living at home) were removed by CPS. Like the Nauglers, they claimed they were being persecuted for being homesteaders and homeschoolers, but it eventually came out that there were allegations of physical abuse, and the oldest son, who had moved out, was either the one who reported them or at least backed up the allegations.

 

The father, who is in his 70s (mother is in her early 40s and currently pregnant) is a self-proclaimed pastor, who doesn't actually work, and is very controlling and into "spare the rod, spoil the child." He has defended hitting the kids, including the teens, and he has a rather scary sermon posted online in which he even uses the word "beating" and says he'll continue disciplining his children the way God wants him to even if the law tells him to stop. He also doesn't believe in modern medicine, none of the kids have been to the doctor, and he tried to make them drink a kind of industrial bleach that he thinks cures all diseases (and which he apparently drinks himself). The bleach was one of the reasons CPS originally went to the house. Also, the teens wanted to go to school, which he forbid, but a judge agreed with the teens so the oldest three are now in PS.

 

Like the Nauglers, the kids seem to do pretty much all of the work and grow all the food, while the patriarch does nothing, but at least they do have a house, and it's clean! 

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That was me. I was thinking about how families lose their houses, apartments, trailers, etc and the land on which that housing exists. If they have no family, friends, or shelter to take them in, they often live in their car or camp. This family had land even after they lost their pre-fab and their "home" looks like something a homeless family would try to cobble together if they managed to stay in one place long enough without the authorities moving them along. Not that this family's only problem is homelessness. They're not just down on their luck, they have other serious issues.

As many families facing homelessness have.  Of course the issues may vary and can include just a series of catastrophic things like medical bills getting out of control etc.  

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There was a long thread about them a few weeks ago. Hal and Michele Stanley are another off-grid, govt-hating, anti-vaxing, homesteading/homeschooling/homebirthing family whose 7 kids (that were still living at home) were removed by CPS. Like the Nauglers, they claimed they were being persecuted for being homesteaders and homeschoolers, but it eventually came out that there were allegations of physical abuse, and the oldest son, who had moved out, was either the one who reported them or at least backed up the allegations.

 

The father, who is in his 70s (mother is in her early 40s and currently pregnant) is a self-proclaimed pastor, who doesn't otherwise work, and is very controlling and into "spare the rod, spoil the child." He has defended hitting the kids, including the teens, and he has a rather scary sermon posted online in which he even uses the word "beating" and says he'll continue disciplining his children the way God wants him to even if the law tells him to stop. He also doesn't believe in modern medicine, none of the kids have been to the doctor, and he tried to make them drink a kind of industrial bleach that he thinks cures all diseases (and which he apparently drinks himself). The bleach was one of the reasons CPS originally went to the house. Also, the teens wanted to go to school, which he forbid, but a judge agreed with the teens so the oldest three are now in PS.

 

Like the Nauglers, the kids seem to do pretty much all of the work and grow all the food, while the patriarch does nothing, but at least they do have a house, and it's clean! 

 

Thanks.  I don't know if I just missed that thread, or if it was when a family member passed and we were out of town for almost a week.  I never even bother to catch up on threads if I've been away from the computer for a couple of days.

 

Interesting that the kids wanted to be in school.  Good for them.

 

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I feel that the bolded is a fair assessment. There is no "home" on the property.  I also think it is horribly neglectful that they haven't sought assistance.  It would be one issue if it were just the adults.  It would still be a sad case that they were having to scrap it out like that, but as adults, they can make the decision to refuse to seek assistance without effect on others.  With children in the mix, however, it is a case of neglect (IMO) to willfully eschew public assistance services in favour of subjecting children incapable of consent to that level of destitution and egregious hygiene.

I absolutely agree.

 

I've said this before and still adhere to it, the parents' right to believe does not trump the child's right to live and be well.

 

The situation is one of utter destitution and danger willfully created by these people. It is criminal neglect, reckless endangerment, and child abuse. As such, they should be charged and tried for their crimes against these children. I shudder to think about the pictures I saw of the 3rd degree burns the child received from trying to stoke a fire with gasoline. No treatment! They were horrible. The pain would have been utterly excruciating. They posted the pics on their blog, as if this was something to brag about. Sick, sick, sick, sick, sick...

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There was a long thread about them a few weeks ago. Hal and Michele Stanley are another off-grid, govt-hating, anti-vaxing, homesteading/homeschooling/homebirthing family whose 7 kids (that were still living at home) were removed by CPS. Like the Nauglers, they claimed they were being persecuted for being homesteaders and homeschoolers, but it eventually came out that there were allegations of physical abuse, and the oldest son, who had moved out, was either the one who reported them or at least backed up the allegations.

 

The father, who is in his 70s (mother is in her early 40s and currently pregnant) is a self-proclaimed pastor, who doesn't actually work, and is very controlling and into "spare the rod, spoil the child." He has defended hitting the kids, including the teens, and he has a rather scary sermon posted online in which he even uses the word "beating" and says he'll continue disciplining his children the way God wants him to even if the law tells him to stop. He also doesn't believe in modern medicine, none of the kids have been to the doctor, and he tried to make them drink a kind of industrial bleach that he thinks cures all diseases (and which he apparently drinks himself). The bleach was one of the reasons CPS originally went to the house. Also, the teens wanted to go to school, which he forbid, but a judge agreed with the teens so the oldest three are now in PS.

 

Like the Nauglers, the kids seem to do pretty much all of the work and grow all the food, while the patriarch does nothing, but at least they do have a house, and it's clean! 

Sipping cleaners???? :svengo:

 

GAH!

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Mom posted this a.m. denying the abuse allegations by their oldest son. She also stated that they will build a better cabin AFTER their kids are home. Yeah, think again. You better get busy cuz CPS isn't gonna allow those kids to come home to that.

Well, how else will it get built if the kids aren't there?

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https://www.facebook.com/BlessedLittleGroomingCompany/photos/a.859347397463278.1073741827.847446198653398/893932484004769/?type=1

 

She put up a Mother's Day for those with pets image while her own children were taken away.  I cannot fathom how that would feel. To equate people's animals with children. When your own children had been taken away but your animals were still there.

Maybe she has a business partner who is simply terribly insensitive and that person put it up?

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The fact that she would even state it this way is sickening. She is not willing to do what is necessary to get her children back. What the state asks for, a reasonable shelter, source of clean water, and sanitation is not unreasonable at all.

 

Well, in a way, I hope they stick to their lazy plan because the longer the children are in care, the more their physical and health needs can be tended. I think the little boy with the burns really needs to see a skin doctor, and they probably all need to be treated for parasites given the poo situation in the "yard". This takes time, so I'd be happy if they remained in care for a good long while. Her blogs with the multiple cases of food poisoning were quite scary and especially since one of the pictures showed poisonous mushrooms on the property. Given that the children ate moldy "bad" pancakes and a diseased turtle, it's entirely possible that the time they were so sick, lying in the mud around the camp fire, they may have actually sampled the mushrooms. Very, very scary. These adults do not strike me as the type that would know one wild plant from another much less mushrooms. Foraging is dangerous if one is not properly informed, and the children appear to forage without any supervision. There's free range and then there is feral. Feral is a very bad thing.

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There have been some really snotty victim-blaming posts on their FB page about the teens "manipulating" the CPS workers into backing their refusal to do chores, and how poor Michele is having to do so much cooking and laundry and cleaning now that the older ones "won't do their share" (which I suspect was a lot more than just "their share"), complaining that the teens' bad attitude is trickling down to the youngers who think they don't have to obey anymore, how the teens' rebellious behavior has torn the family apart and the parents should just put them back in foster care and leave them there, etc.

 

What is it with the whackadoodles taking to Facebook to garner sympathy for their cases? And why do people fall for them hook, line, and sinker?

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That was me. I was thinking about how families lose their houses, apartments, trailers, etc and the land on which that housing exists. If they have no family, friends, or shelter to take them in, they often live in their car or camp. This family had land even after they lost their pre-fab and their "home" looks like something a homeless family would try to cobble together if they managed to stay in one place long enough without the authorities moving them along. Not that this family's only problem is homelessness. They're not just down on their luck, they have other serious issues.

I was reading back through her blog and the months they lived in the pre-fab(?) house. They appeared relatively normal. But once they lost that, then yes, they were essentially homeless, IMO.

 

During these months, (late 2013- early 2014) there are posts about one child planning their gardens, another planning a chicken coop. Posts about older children helping younger children navigate Starfall on the laptop. It doesn't seem like an unsafe, unsanitary dangerous life. I can see why this picture would be admired by people. If she had come on here and said, "Hey, DS is planning our garden for the spring!" she would have found admiration and support.

 

This is the period when her son burned his hand. I would have taken him to the hosptial. I disagree with treating it at home before getting it evaluated. But it looked mostly healed with month or so. I also disagree with MANY posts here that people say they won't seek healthcare for their children but that is their parental decision.

 

These months posts from last winter are in stark contrast to the posts of the 3 sided structure, and the yard that is the slurry of mud and animal feces. I am grateful the children aren't there any more.

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Mom posted this a.m. denying the abuse allegations by their oldest son. She also stated that they will build a better cabin AFTER their kids are home. Yeah, think again. You better get busy cuz CPS isn't gonna allow those kids to come home to that.

 

 

oh, goody.  they're not going to build until they get they kids back.  good - then the kids will be in a nice safe environment.

 

I would not be surprised if the only thing the money goes for is legal bills (and drugs.)

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oh, goody.  they're not going to build until they get they kids back.  good - then the kids will be in a nice safe environment.

 

I would not be surprised if the only thing the money goes for is legal bills (and drugs.)

 

I don't understand why they would say that. Are they admitting they won't be doing any of the work themselves, and that the children will be doing it all? How is that supposed to help their case?

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All I can think of is that if my child had been born into this family he would be dead, at the very least suffering in pain. But, probably dead. His medical needs must be treated by mainstream medicine. He cannot handle that level of cold.

 

Similarly, had I insisted on an unassisted home birth for my firstborn, I would be dead.

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Similarly, had I insisted on an unassisted home birth for my firstborn, I would be dead.

 

On the other hand, I accidentally had an unassisted birth in the car on the way to the hospital with my firstborn. I don't regret giving birth in a car, at all. 

 

I'm a big proponent of pregnant people making their own choices around birth and of homebirth. I support people choosing unassisted births, even though I strongly prefer having a CNM. However, even I really hope that she opts to give birth in a birthing center or hospital.

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On the other hand, I accidentally had an unassisted birth in the car on the way to the hospital with my firstborn. I don't regret giving birth in a car, at all. 

 

I'm a big proponent of pregnant people making their own choices around birth and of homebirth. I support people choosing unassisted births, even though I strongly prefer having a CNM. However, even I really hope that she opts to give birth in a birthing center or hospital.

 

Don't jump a stretch to conclude that I oppose home births!  I'm negative only about purposely-chosen "no assistance on hand".  :001_smile:

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I'm guessing if they're at the point that their shed was repossessed, the "someone else" providing the attorney is the government, and they're using a public defender. They're just not saying that because they're not accepting things like food stamps.

 

I'd also guess that the whackadoodles taking to facebook are either also just as resentful of government, heard only one side of the story through someone like Alex Jones, or are also criminals or homeless.

 

What I can't figure out is how any woman would let her children live in that way, or why she would resent having a well & septic system, let alone not use them.  Can someone in the area on well water please comment on what the costs would be to have the well tested & used?

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I'm guessing if they're at the point that their shed was repossessed, the "someone else" providing the attorney is the government, and they're using a public defender. They're just not saying that because they're not accepting things like food stamps.

 

I'd also guess that the whackadoodles taking to facebook are either also just as resentful of government, heard only one side of the story through someone like Alex Jones, or are also criminals or homeless.

 

What I can't figure out is how any woman would let her children live in that way, or why she would resent having a well & septic system, let alone not use them.  Can someone in the area on well water please comment on what the costs would be to have the well tested & used?

If the well can pump water they can send the water off to be tested at little cost. But they would have to contact the evil government for the free or low cost options or to find someone who can test.

 

http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/well/faq.cfm#q1

 

 

Your local health department may also test private well water for free. 

 

 

 

We had our well tested privately and have our drinking water go through an RO system.

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I am sad that it is mid May. Their time will be extremely limited in public schools before summer. That will mean if they are significantly behind in a subject they will not get as much time to receive remediation. It will barely be enough time to conduct testing, if it is able to be done at all. Most schools that I am familiar with (very limited, I will own that) do not evaluate in the summer.

 

This is said based on my personal experience with summer school programs being more fun based instead of academic in elementary school. 

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What I can't figure out is how any woman would let her children live in that way,

 

and then there are women who turn the other way when their significant others beat or s3xually abuse their children. I would assume there is a similar mentality at play.

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I'm guessing if they're at the point that their shed was repossessed, the "someone else" providing the attorney is the government, and they're using a public defender. They're just not saying that because they're not accepting things like food stamps.

 

I'd also guess that the whackadoodles taking to facebook are either also just as resentful of government, heard only one side of the story through someone like Alex Jones, or are also criminals or homeless.

 

What I can't figure out is how any woman would let her children live in that way, or why she would resent having a well & septic system, let alone not use them.  Can someone in the area on well water please comment on what the costs would be to have the well tested & used?

 

We just moved into our house and it has a brand new well and septic system (installed by DH because that is his actual job and he's awesome ;) ). The new septic cost the bank more than $30K. That included the new well (I think). The testing of the water fell on us. Because DH is in this field, he only had to pay for the actual testing so I believe that was around $100 but takes some time to get the results back.  If things don't look good, you can end up needing a new well/septic (see above quotes) or needing to treat the water (I believe our treatment system was a couple thousand).  Does that help?

 

ETA: I would assume that these prices vary based on location in the country. We're in the Northeast, in PA.

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I feel so bad for the kids. They're split up, they're likely experiencing culture shock, and they've been taught that their foster families are evil kidnappers--or at least in cahoots with kidnappers. I hope their eyes will be opened to the truth and they're well cared for now.

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I am sad that it is mid May. Their time will be extremely limited in public schools before summer. That will mean if they are significantly behind in a subject they will not get as much time to receive remediation. It will barely be enough time to conduct testing, if it is able to be done at all. Most schools that I am familiar with (very limited, I will own that) do not evaluate in the summer.

 

This is said based on my personal experience with summer school programs being more fun based instead of academic in elementary school. 

 

I'm guessing they probably have so many physical, mental, and emotional needs that the academic issues will likely take a backseat, anyway.

 

You and I both have kids with special medical needs. Think about all those appointments, times 2-4 kids that aren't your own and that have been traumatized and neglected, possibly abused...

 

I think if I were a foster parent I would really be hoping for health and some kind of stability in time for school in the fall as my best outcome, and get on the academic situation closer to registration time.

 

(I've never been a foster parent. This is just what makes sense to me from 'way out here.)

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