My Son

[Pixieglitter]

Y'all are such great online friends to me, and I'd like to take a minute to brag about my youngest son, Kevin. He's only 21 years old and has become a very "old soul" because of the things he's seen and lived through.

This past spring, Kevin completed his third time in rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. He now lives in a sober living community with 50 other men in Birmingham, Alabama. It's a wonderful place I found for him that are several apartments with a very structured program. I've never heard of any other place like it. And he's THRIVING there! He's got a good job as a cook at Cracker Barrel and he completely supports himself. He loves his job! He doesn't have a car so he takes the bus. He's going back to college and wants to continue working full time. He's been clean and sober for 6 months now.

For 8 months this past winter, Kevin literally lived on the streets in Nashville. My son was homeless. He either slept on a piece of cardboard behind a church or he lived in a tent city with other homeless people. He held a sign and panhandled for money. It broke my heart and I spent way too many sleepless nights knowing that my son was cold and didn't have a bed to sleep in. It took some serious tough love for me to get through it. It took everything I had in me to not drive up there to get him and bring him back home. I didn't know if my son would survive.

This isn't something I share with very many people. Most people just don't understand and I don't want them to judge my son in any way (or me, for that matter). People don't know what it's like to have a child who is an addict and alcoholic; a son who is homeless living in a big city, in the cold winter.

Thank you for listening to me praise my son, Kevin. And thank you for being my friends.

Shelley

[debbie67]

That is wonderful news. I don't feel anyone has a right to judge you or your son. Sometimes in life people make the wrong decisions, it isn't your fault as a parent. It isn't something you did or did not do. Watching him live on the street I know was hard but bringing him home with you would not have done either of you any favors. My sister was addicted to drugs and would do ANYTHING to get them. We took her kids away from her for their protection and she disappeared, we had no idea if she was alive or dead. Eventually she found her way to a Salvation Army program and got clean. She now owns her own home, has been clean and sober for 12 years and has a beautiful grandson. Your son is on the right track and you should be proud.

[Winnie2013]

Hi Shelley, thank you for sharing the good news about your son I'm sure it will give hope to someone here!!! You have every right to be proud and to praise your son. It was much harder for you to exercise tough love than it would to given in to your heart and take him home. I am so happy for you and for him that he is in recovery I will pray that he will make a full and complete recovery. God bless you and your family. Love, prayers and hugs Winnie

[MeerKat]

Shelly i am so glad your son found some help. So many don't, a good friend of mine's son was on drugs and he started on a rehab program, so far he is doing good, but has only been on it a couple months. She says he isn't taking any drugs now, he had cause her a lot of money keeping him out of jail. I pray he will continue on this program.
Good luck to you and your son, no one has a right to judge you or him. We all make mistakes, the main thing is he is getting the help he needs.