A Football Grandma

dcoleman22357:

My life has been filled with it’s ups and downs but overall, it’s a good life. I chose to have my children at a young age so that I would still be able to fulfill some of my life goals as they became independent adults. My plan was NOT what destiny had in store for me.

As I approach my 58th birthday early next year, I find myself raising two of my teenage grandchildren. Kim will soon be 18 and DJ will be 15 in December. They are great kids who were dealt a really bad hand in life. You see, their mother suffers from mental illness. She struggles on a daily basis with her own survival needs. Their father decided he should move on with his life, divorce their mom, and start a new family with another woman. I do believe that they both love their kids, unfortunately neither is capable of supporting them. Not emotionally or financially.

My husband and I have raised Kim since she was 3 months old. Her parents were too busy living their own lives to take care of the needs of an infant. DJ lived with his biological parents until July 2014. For the previous 2 years, he struggled to live with his mom who was fighting her own demons. Never having a stable home, he had attended as many as 5-6 different schools in his young life. He went weeks without electricity and sometimes water because the bills hadn’t been paid. The two meals that he could count on were the free breakfast and lunch he got at school. Weekends he prayed there would be food for at least 2 meals.

In early July, he came to visit us. He was excited to be starting high school in August and he was especially excited about playing football. Practices had been in full swing since early June and he was working really hard to make the team and impress his coaches. Unfortunately, he was also homeless. Sleeping on the floor wherever his mom could talk someone into letting them lay their heads. His few clothes were in trash bags. DJ was embarrassed and totally uncertain about what tomorrow would have in store for him. How could I selfishly sit back and watch a child endure all of that and not take a stand? The answer is that I couldn’t!

DJ is now living with me, my husband, and his sister Kim in our home. He is attending the local high school here and he made the JV football team! Not one week has passed since he began living with us that he doesn’t say “thank you so much grandma and grandpa for letting me come live with you and Kim.” He is thriving emotionally, physically and socially. DJ no longer has to worry about adult problems in life. He knows there will be food when he is hungry. He can take a daily shower without fear that the water will be turned off. The electricity is on so he can do his homework and actually concentrate on his schoolwork. Also, he now has a bed in his own bedroom!

My life is nothing like I envisioned it would be at this point in time but I wouldn’t change a thing. I have found a new purpose in my life. A new reason to get out of bed every morning. I’ve joined the PTA again! My social calendar now includes Thursday night JV football games cheering for my #10 corner back!!! Friday nights are now spent working in the concession booth at the Varsity football games! As a Bengal Booster Club parent, that is now my job. So as I near my 58th birthday early next year, I am traveling the path of parenthood all over again. It’s a path that I wouldn’t trade for any other and that I thank God for giving me the health and means to provide for His two beautiful creations!

Warm Hugs My Friends,
Donna