It's Always Something

I noticed as I left a meeting this afternoon that I had two missed calls from the Cottage. Debra, the nurse who has been there for the last few months, typically lets Billy call me in the afternoon around 4:00. During the summer, I've nearly always been available, but today I was not. I called her back, but she was with another client, so we didn't talk, but she said in one of her messages that if this was a good time, she would let Billy talk to me each day at this time. When she's called before, she always asks if it's okay, and I really don't mind if it helps Billy settle down a bit.

I started my trek to the Cottage around 4:30, and I had to stop to fill up with gasoline. It was 5:25 when I arrived there, and as soon as I opened the door, he stepped into the entryway. The door to the daycare is kept closed, and Terri tells him NOT to go out that door. I could tell when I saw him and heard Terri scolding him that it had not been a great day. When I asked Terri how long he had been like this, she told me it started before lunch today. He wouldn't sit down to eat lunch, kept getting up to walk around or go to the restroom. After lunch he was to stay in the TV room at the back of the Cottage with one of the caretakers, while Terri and another employee took an online test. He would not stay in the room, and kept going into the nurse's office.

He was the last one to get picked up today, and I'm sure Terri wanted to wring his neck. She told me that for about 15 minutes before I arrived, he kept telling her he was leaving no matter what. She told him that if he did that, she would have to call the police. When he saw me he started apologizing to Terri...it was like he got caught being naughty by his mom, and he was trying to make it okay. This has become a pattern with him, and I'm not sure how much he understands. He seems very adolescent - or younger.

I told Terri I planned to visit with the owner about possibly locking the door into the daycare, and she said it cannot be done because of regulations of some kind. I'll have to get more information on that, but I would feel better if it were locked. I would feel even better if Billy didn't get so ornery with Terri. I feel like I need to put him in timeout when he's like this, and when I talk to him, he responds in a reasonable way, but I don't really think he comprehends what he did. Being child-like is one thing, but if he were a child, I could reason with him better. He promises not to do whatever it was he did, and then he does it again. The apologies begin again.

Please pray for Billy to be more compliant at the Cottage. I think they are happy to have him there, but if it becomes unsafe, I'll have to consider other options. And we know how that goes. Our past prayers have been answered, and I don't doubt that this can be done also. He is resting at night now, sleeping soundly, and what a huge blessing that is.