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Chapter 1………………..…………………………….…………Mornings with DadChapter 2………………………………………………….…Pinkie Finger PromiseChapter 3…….....……………………………………….……………...……Ms Mahlee
A soul-touching story about addiction and a terrible journey ofcustody court battles. The eight and seven-year-old Will andGrace set a goal and promise to each other to reveal theterrible secret of their home conditions. A move, and thesubsequent new beginning explore the suffering andchallenges involved for all family members. The goal in mind isto move into a new home, have a better and safer upbringingand to achieve this they need a little help from some goodpeople like Ms Mahlee , a counselor and child safety officer.
Chapter 1Chapter 1 It was a typical school morning for William& Grace, with their dad still in his workuniform from the night before. As usual, he was tired but in a good mood.They both knew he had worked the entirenight, but even so, he always made surethey had a fun breakfast together, ahealthy fresh lunch box, and drove them toschool every single morning. William & Grace loved when their dad worehis work jacket when dropping them off atschool. Their friends and teachers alwayswaved to him as they thought he was ahero. Their dad was well respected, andeveryone was kind to him. As he did somuch for others.
However, as usual, their mum was in her roomuntil lunchtime.When William & Grace came home from school,they knew and understood that their dad wouldbe asleep in the garage. He had built himself asmall living space in there a long time ago as hewas able to lock the door for privacy.This made William & Grace feel separated fromhim. However, they knew their dad needed sleepand alone time during the day before going intoa long night shift helping people in emergencies. Even so, they were very proud of him for being aparamedic. His family, for many generations, hadbeen ambulance workers in the first aid industry. Their favorite time of the day was in the morning. Thatwas the only time when the three of them seemedhappy, as it was when they all had time together.
Between coming home from school all the way tillbedtime, their mum always wore comfy PJ’s and drankout of a teacup. They knew it wasn’t tea; it smeltdifferent and wasn’t hot.She was always angry and complained a lot abouteverything. One thing she hated was the fish tank.This was difficult to understand for William & Grace asthey loved their fish and the aquarium. They enjoyedredecorating it together with their dad and evencleaning it. They knew the tank was the home of thefish, and they cared for that.Sometimes their mum would leave for a few days to arehab centre. It was supposed to calm her down andgive her a rest, but nothing ever seemed to changeher ups and downs.
A rehabilitation center is a place for people withaddictions. The patients are treated with respect anda lot of medical care. This is to support a physicalrecovery and a stable mind frame to return to theirfamilies and maintain a healthy new attitude. However, not every addict manages to overcome theissues they have. Family, friends, and neighborswould say that she was sick, but William & Graceknew that only the addiction was the issue. Shewasn’t sick as in having flu or cough; it was the choiceshe made for herself every day.
Chapter 2Chapter 2 William & Grace started to confront their mum, askingwhy she continued with her addiction instead of beinghappy and active. This would make her even angrier,which made William & Grace feel very nervous andanxious. Often, kids, feel upset and guilty that their parent isangry or unhealthy. However, it’s not anyone else’sfault; it’s the person with an addiction who createstheir own unhappiness. The decision to becomehealthy and have a positive daily routine can only bemade and done by that person. They would mostly stay in their bedroom to avoidtheir mum and her unexpected mood swings in theliving room. She would sing loudly to music, screamand then fall asleep on the couch. It was the sameroutine most days.On a few occasions, their mum would clean thehouse, smelling of strong perfume and wanting hugsfrom William and Grace.
She would keep telling them how much she lovedthem, which was all very confusing to William & Graceas they never knew who she really was or what toexpect when they came home from school. Addictions are on and off; this can cause uncertaintyand release a feeling of not trusting the safety or evenfeeling loved by that person. Children are oftenanxious if their home is unpredictable, and this causesinstability in their trust. This can cause children todevelop trust issues when they become adults. As aresult, creating unstableness in their relationshipswith work colleges, partners, friends, and even theirown families. William & Grace realized that their dad was alwaysworried and nervous around their mum and neverhappy. He was only happy when it was just the threeof them alone. They knew the reason why he worked so hard on longnight shifts is so they could afford a good school, livein a big house, have fun breakfasts, and have a hugetank for the fish they live in.
They knew the reason why he worked so hard on longnight shifts is so they could afford a good school, livein a big house, have fun breakfasts and have a hugetank for the fish the life in.One morning they came down to breakfast and werevery shocked by the mess in the house. Their dad hada wounded face and was very unhappy. Furniture wastipped over, pictures were off the wall, and lots of stuffwas thrown everywhere. They had never seenanything like this before. There were no fish in the tank. Half the water wasgone, and lots of broken glass on the floor. Their mumseemed to have destroyed the fish’s home—this wasthe most upsetting thing she had ever done to them. William & Grace asked their Dad what had happened.He calmly told them that their mum didn’t know whatshe was doing and she had once again become veryangry, but everything would soon be okay again.
Domestic violence happens in many families and oftenstays unreported. Addiction leads to hurting the peoplethey love. Often, the hurt person doesn’t speak up toavoid more conflict or believes they shouldn’t give upon them as they are family. William & Grace realised that their dad was alwaysworried and nervous around their mum and neverhappy. He was only happy when it was just the three ofthem alone. They knew the reason why he worked so hard on longnight shifts is so they could afford a good school, live ina big house, have fun breakfasts and have a huge tankfor the fish the live in. William & Grace knew that it was not safe anymore andthings had to change, but neither knew how or whereto start. Finally, that morning, William and Grace madea decision, they needed to speak out and be heard.They both made a pinkie promise to each other thatthey would achieve this goal together. Both William & Grace had to go to school during theday. However, they did not want to leave their Dadalone so that their mum could upset him or hurt himagain.
Both William and Grace were having more and moresleepless nights. They were tired and started to be veryunsettled at school; this was even being noticed bytheir lovely teachers. AND THEY CREATED AVISION BOARDTOGETHER
Usually, teachers don’t hug very often atschool, but this teacher suddenly gave Grace abig hug, making Grace feel like she could trusther. Then, the teacher asked if she and herbrother could sit down with her and sharesome stories about what was really going onat home. Both William & Grace knew it wastime for them to tell the truth. Chapter 3Chapter 3 The teacher was so kind, she brought themtea and biscuits and another lovely counsellor- Ms Mahlee. They felt very special to spendtime with her one on one as everyone had alot of respect for Ms Mahlee, for her childsafety service. They would say she is like a wiseold tree.
Usually, teachers don’t hug very often at school, butthis teacher suddenly gave Grace a big hug, makingGrace feel like she could trust her. Then, the teacherasked if she and her brother could sit down with herand share some stories about what was really goingon at home. Both William & Grace knew it was timefor them to tell the truth. The teacher was so kind, she brought them tea andbiscuits and another lovely counsellor - Ms Mahlee.They felt very special to spend time with her one onone as everyone had a lot of respect for Ms Mahlee,for her child safety service. They would say she is likea wise old tree.
........he called it. They had breakfast at a beautiful family facility wherethey stayed with Ms Mahlee whilst their Dad visited alawyer who explained how it is illegal andinappropriate for children to be in the environmentWilliam and Grace had been enduring.A few days later, William, Grace and their dadhad breakfast as usual, with their mum in arehab center again. Their dad told them not toget ready for school but to wear whatever theywanted as it was a special day for them. "A FRESHSTART AND A LIFECHANGINGDAY "
After the visit to the lawyer, their Dad and Ms Mahleespent the rest of the day with William & Grace creatingpositive goals and plans for a better future. The best part of the day was seeing the new visionboard. All three of them were now able to lay out theirmaster plan together. Seeking professional help is important to receivestrategies to set up achievable goals and assist inmaking good decisions for themselves and othersinvolved. For example, a counselor and a child safetyofficer can be very useful to help children to improvetheir family circumstances. Ms Mahlee explained tothem that hard decisionsare always a confrontingand hurtful time initially,although better for thelong-term achievementof a happy life. They allagreed it was exciting tohave new purposes andnew goals for the threeof them.
Their dad had to go to court, and this made their mumvery angry. She wanted to see William & Grace moreoften, but every time they were allowed to spend anight with her alone, she broke all her promises anddidn’t quit her addiction. This again was confusing for William & Grace as shekept telling the child safety officer how she loved themand wanted to stay healthy for them.William & Grace had to learn that addictions take overpeople’s lives, and no one else can help them butthemselves. The benefit of going through litigation to settle custodyis to receive the lawful rights on what’s best for thechildren’s upbringing. This means the judge decideswho can provide health care, welfare and education inthe best way for the children to grow up with.
Their dad had made the right decision to keep themboth safe and start a new life. He fought for this incourt with lots of help from the teachers, lawyers andMs Mahlee. William and Grace understood that thiswas the journey they had to take.The journey included constantly being amongstsuitcases, enduring court battles and talking tostrangers who asked them many tough questions. Their dad even got a new job. Most of all, though, theyhad to accept the new life they had ahead of them.William and Grace didn’t know how long this journeywould be, but Ms Mahlee promised it would only be afew months. They realized, soon their pinkie promisegoal would be achieved. William & Grace had to go to a new school and moveto a new little house. This was challenging, but theywere able to be around their dad in the morning forbreakfast and even for dinner in the evening!Everything seemed to make more sense and was evenmore fun. Their Dad now worked fewer hours andtherefore had more time to be a full-time dad.
Of course, their dad had to bring in a few newrules for them both, but these new rules alsomade things easier for them all as a family.Healthy meals and normal routines madeWilliam & Grace able to focus more on schooland have fun with friends. They were also nolonger nervous or anxious.
The reason why William & Grace overcame the divorceso well is that they were honest to Ms Mahlee but alsoto themselves. Honesty and calm communication is the key for newbeginnings amongst children and their single parent. The new fish tank was smaller, just like the house, butthey enjoyed decorating their rooms and the new fishtank. William & Grace felt very relaxed and happy. Theytrusted their new trio tribe and the strong foundationsof their new life in their new little home. They knew it was a great home with a full-time Dad andthat the hard part of their journey was over.ENDTHE