Woke to a message from my nephew.
Poor kiddo's been kicked out at 16.
Still waiting for details, just sent him love so he knows he can talk to me.
There are times when history repeats itself - his mum ran away from our violent home at 16, had him at 19; his two aunts (including me) were driven out as teens, too - and the only thing I can lean on for difference is the fact that he's got extended family rooting for him. We didn't have that.
Some cycles are harder to break.
But we keep trying.
@MLClark Does he need anything immediately? Is he in a safe place currently?
Still waiting to hear back - but a 4am message from a teenager suggests a really rough and confused night. I've already contacted the most reliable family member in Ontario, so we'll tag-team today to make sure he's somewhere safe and knows this isn't the end of everything.
Thanks for asking. 🫂
Poor kiddo's had a lot of disruption. His parents had a tough few years, broke up, mum had another surprise pregnancy with an older dude who only showed up at the birth & decided he wanted to be a dad... sort of. Enter years of my nephew with a stepdad who barely showed up for his own kids and constantly quarrelled with him. They broke up this year. Last I heard, mum had merged households with a new fellow with two girls.
Just... a lot.
Now to let the kiddo know it gets better!
@MLClark That is a lot. And 16 is young. But I hope and pray with support from you and other loved ones he can start building a stable home of his own, away from the chaos. It's not fair that he has to do it so young, but it will get better.
@MLClark I have a 16 year old; I can't imagine him on the streets. Teenagers + parents can be difficult under the best circumstances and depending on trauma, etc., it can get really bad. But: You are right, it is decidedly NOT the end of everything.