Fiona's Update

More snow and it is FINALLY (caps for KC's verbal emphasis) snowman snow.  Every year we take a picture of the snowman and its makers.  Here's this years. LOL

Had a call from Fiona last night. She was crying and unhappy.  Her side is that residents don't want to include her or ignore her.  I got an email from the house this a.m. which said she was instigating and tried several times to elope from the home several times over the weekend.  They did approve my request for a weekend visit, (Friday night through Saturday evening) but wanted me to agree to "reinforce that this was contingent up on her following program rules."  Um. No.

Family is not a hostage for the program. We are not a bargaining chip.   I wrote that I was more than willing to support the team by reminding her of hte importance of following house rules. But that we had travelled this road with other institutions and when family is used in this manner it did not work well.  It did not improve her behavior and it made her feel that we just did not want to see her.

I also wrote that it was my hope that coming home and feeling connected would make it easier for her to cope with the constraints of the home she is living in.  Her world at present is much smaller than what she was used to, with only 5 other residents. If those 5 are not her friend at the moment, there is no where else to turn for company.  I also reiterated my position that she needs to have some type of activity within the community and not be bound to the house for such extended periods of time.  I suspect  the home is not lovin me right now.