I'm ready to set this school year aside, chalk it up to experience and take the summer for a ride.

My plan is to make this a transformative summer. Seems with the crater from the latest mushroom cloud I've a blank if not clean state.

I'm holding my ground. I don't know if it's the right thing to do, but the deal is that he doesn't come back to live with me until he can respect my rules. My rules are simple.

~ Basic self care.(hygiene, education, common decency, safe decision)
~ A few family chores (trash out, clean room, vacuum, mow yard)
~ Honest Communication with out the name calling and blame.
~ Respect Boundaries of those you live with. (privacy, physical, verbal...)

Right now E is attempting to use staying at his father's as a manipulative tool. He wants to come back, tells me he's ready, asks me if he can do something and if I say no, he pulls out the hurt and goes to dad whom of course says yes without limit. It may backfire, but I can't keep giving in and being pulled under by his manipulation. Most of what he says is parroting overheard jabs from his father's tirades. I'm hopeful in that his father has admitted that his behaviors did not set a good example. Looks like the sentence to domestic abuse counseling is having some good effect.

It's hard to cut the old habit of self pity and hanging onto that helpless victim role when it feels so often like I'm being backed into a corner and beaten. That said, I'm less jangled by all the rot. I'm moving forward, getting life lived.

My yard looks great.
I'm going to bask in my beau. He cooks, He cleans, He surprises me with yard work...
He understands my position without letting me get away with the po pitiful me routine.

In with the good, fix the bad...