The sun finally came back out today, after hiding behind quite a few clouds and several inches of snow, both of which knocked out my internet connection! Along with knocking out the internet, the storm also closed the schools down for the past two days, so the kids were able to stay home and play in the snow and have friends over, time much better spent than sitting at school according to them both.

While the extra time off was throughly enjoyed, there is a slight problem that has not quite yet dawned on my adopted stepson. This past Friday, was the end of the quarter in school, and since there was no school, there was no way for him to turn in the missing work that he completed the other night, so there was no opportunity for him to attempt to bring up his grade in one of his classes.

The weather is not something that seems to have been taken into account when it comes to his plan of waiting until the last possible minute to do the work in that class. The teacher will accept any assignment for the quarter, up until the final day of the quarter, a gracious system that my adopted stepson has been taking full advantage of all year long. Only this time, the weather put an unexpected twist into the equation. This time life threw him a curve ball and taught him why it isn't good to wait until the very last minute to turn in his assignments.

The ability for him to obtain his driver's license is riding on his report card, good grades equal a ride up to the Department of Motor Vehicles to take his written test, poor grades from not turning in completed assignments shows us that the responsibility of driving is one that he is not yet ready to handle. He desperately wants to drive, yet constantly sabotages each and every chance he is afforded to get one.

It is so interesting to watch him pick control battles over the smallest and silliest of things, such as stealing or hoarding junk food, yet when control is handed to him for something that he desires, he won't take the steps to achieve his heart's desires. It makes me so sad to know that his birthmother hurt and damaged him so deeply that he no longer knows how to allow himself to be happy and achieve the things that he wants out of life. Hopefully one day soon he will realize that the future is his for the taking, he simply has to reach out and grab it.