Angie's Entry

My weekend was quiet. For the most part.

I took the dog for a walk on Saturday morning then spent the next four hours cleaning my house. The only room I still haven't tackled is my second bedroom. It just keeps getting more and more ridiclous in there and it's going to take me hours to clean it up. Someday soon, I'll get to it.

Satuday night I went over to friend Teresa's apartment and we watched "Bill Cosby: Himself". In my humble opinion, that is THE funniest comedy concert ever. The dentist is the funniest bit I have ever seen. I laugh so hard, I can't breathe when he does that!!

Sunday was quiet too, Brother was susposed to call. He's having a really hard time in SD. He's used to being around people, always something going on and SD is not like that at all. My mom called me on Friday and told me to call him, he broke down into tears while he was talking to her. I feel so bad for him :(

So I think my Niece should be one of those girls that goes into that boot camp for kids thing.

I was sitting home last night, watching TV when my Aunt called me and asked if I'd talked to or seen my niece, we'll call her A. Nope. I was then informed that she and her mother 'Sista2', my cousin, got into a huge fight and 'Sista2' got into the tub. When she got out, A had left.

So as of Sunday night around 6:30, my niece decided to runaway. So when I get this phone call last night at 8 p.m., I'm wondering what the hell is going on. I got off the phone with my Aunt and called my mom to see if she had anymore information.

She did, apparently A wanted her mom to take her to the mall so she could buy a new pair of sneaks. She had babysat for my other cousin, 'Sista' the night before and had some money burning a hole in her pocket. 'Sisita2' said no, a fight ensued and A took off. A did not show up for school Monday and no one in the family had heard from her.

I chatted with my mom a few more minutes then got off the phone in case my niece did call.

I'm not a sit by and do nothing kind of person, no one is our family is. When something comes up, we automatically sprng into action. I immediately started thinking of where she could be, who she could be with. Do I go sit at the mall and watch for her?

My mom called me back a few minutes later, she called my Aunt back and said, it's been over 24 hours, we should consider her missing and tomorrow (Tuesday, Today) we should all get together and start putting up posters and getting the word out. Turns out, when A had babysat for 'Sista', she' d gotten paid $80 for the new shoes she told 'Sista' she wanted. Well, a fourteen year old and $80 in cash? You do the math. My first thought was, she could be anywhere by now. She had been talking with my mom a while back about how she wanted to move out. She was/is waiting for someone to ask her to come live with them. Well, one, that is not going to happen, can you say overstepping the bounds of family?

Anyways, being the reourceful and law enforecment connected person my cousin 'Sista' is, she pulled out all the stops. She called everyone she knew, and believe you me when I tell you that the police, sheriff's office, highway patrol, firemen, paramedics, jailers, corrections officers and the like all have this special network among them. They are constantly working together and pull together when one of there own is in need.

So 'Sista' called a few local law enforcement people she knew, told them what was going on and what my mom told me was this - if A calls you, don't jump her, don't let on that you know anythig unusualy is going on. Find out where she is and tell her your coming to get her. Then call 'Sista' and the police will be picking A up, tranporting her down to the local JDC (juvenile detention center) and she can spend the night there if she thinks she has it so rough.

Which, and this may be harsh, is exactly what she needs. My niece sent a girl in her school to the hospital last year. She has some rage issues and she hates her house. More to the point, she hates her stepfather. She has no discipline from her mother who, by her own admission, treats her more like a friend than her daughter, and that has caused this lack of boundaries.

As a fourteen year old child, she has far too long been treated by her mother as an adult. Even with the rest of us objecting to fake nails, makeup, jewerly and hair treatments that would cost the rest of us $200, if her mother won't enforce the rules, or at least set some, then there's nothing the rest of us can do. And that is very unfortunate.

So last night was very tense around these parts, waiting to hear anything.

My mom then called me around 11, just as I had finally fallen asleep. 'Sista' had called one of A's friends who sounded a little shady on the phone earlier with 'Sista2'. This friend, who is seventeen btw, finally caved under 'Sista's' interrogation and said that A was there.

'Sista' and her partner asked one of their neighbors to watch their kids, then they went down to A's old neighborhood, where this friend lives, and picked A up and took her home to 'Sista2'.

So all ended well, but with A acting out more and more, shes going to get harder and harder to handle. If I had the means to have her live with me, she'd find out how much discipline sucks!! Unfortunately, her dance lessons and her school are both 20 miles away from my house and with my other job, it just isn't a feasible situation. So, we'll see what happens from here.