I'll try to give just the outward facts, however there is a lot going on. We lost our home to foreclosure in June of this year (long story, involving unemployment and the banks unwilling to work with us). My mother lives on a farm just down the road were my kids have horses and other animals that she keeps for them. So we thought it was a logical move for them to move in with her so they could continue to go to school where they have been going to their whole life and take care of the animals and help her (who is in her 80's). We suggested to move in also and pay rent etc. but my mother has never cared for my husband and her next door neighbors don't like us for varying reasons (really don't understand it myself) and they really didn't mind the kids moving in but didn't want us moving in. Yes, they are just her neighbors and shouldn't have any say but they have exerted a lot of mind control over my mother in the last few years since my fathers death and a scary amount to say about what she does, so we decided it would be least upsetting for just the kids to move in and we would find someplace else until we could get our own place again. Let me stop here and say that one girl is 16 and the other is 18 (will be 19 in November, and really isn't what this post is about). We stayed in a rent by the week motel near by but were offered a basement room in a coworkers apartment free of charge until we get back on our feet. This happens to be about 20 minutes away from were my mother lives. The kids were also given an open invitation to move in the basement also, but they would rather stay where their friends, school and animals are so didn't see a problem with this. We are having trouble finding a place due to the current economic situation, and our credit is very bad due to the foreclosure, we had a trailer given to us but the park wouldn't let us in without a co-signer and no on in our family was either qualified or would do it, all of the section 8 or voucher programs are closed or have 1-2 year waits, we are most definitely working on finding a place but do not want to end up in a situation before where we can't afford the rent or have to decide between fixing the car or making house payments, so it is taking a little more time then we would like. Problem is we are concerned that my husband sister through spite might try to press child abandonment, I don't know what the laws are and don't know if I should be concerned about this. We still pay for all their clothes, food, schooling and I see them for the most part on a daily basis. We could just make the kids come live with us but my 16 year old has already expressed that that would be even more stressful to be forced to go to another school and taken away from her friends so we are trying not to make her life any harder. But I found out that my sister-in-law was questioning her about how she was being taken care of and was being very vindictive about it, she never answered any questions and just told her that she didn't want to talk to her (she is smart and has learned from my sister-in-laws ugly ways before) My sister in law is an alcoholic that has gone to jail for domestic assalt but thinks she knows how to run everyone's life better then they are, loves dragging everyone through the mud. But I still want to know if I should be concerned about this situation. We are just trying to get are lives back together, I finally got a good job 12/11/07 and my husband is up for a promotion by the end of the year, we are just trying to get our heads above water and our family back together and except for this are being very successful at it. Sorry for the long post.
