About a week after the boys told him how they felt, we received a card in our mailbox stating that we had certified mail with signature required at the post office for pick-up. So, of course I instantly go into stress mode. I can't get in touch with Chris because he is out on a mission, I can't get in touch with my mother, I can't get in touch with Mari ( a friend in a similar situation) because she is working etc. . . So of course the panic was growing. We tried to pick it up at the post office but the mailman had not returned from his route yet. Now, I am the type of person who cannot concentrate on anything else with something like this hanging on my thoughts. I was going nuts. I kept looking at the card. Russell was getting pretty tense too. Then I noticed, the card was for a certified package to RUSSELL not me. If it were legal it would be to me. Whew. Now we were still pretty anxious and curious about what it was but definitely not so high strung as we were at first. We waited until almost closing time so we could be sure he was back from his route, and then went by the post office again. I even sent Russell in to sign for it. It turned out to be a card (oddly enough one of those blank cards that had sunflowers all over it -- which I thought was strangely inappropriate for 2 boys -- LOL). Anyway the jist was this 1) If they every wanted to call or write him he was including his address/email address/ phone numbers 2) If either of them ever wanted to visit him they should call and he would "try to work something out" End of story. WOW. God Answers Prayer. There has been such a change in the boys the last couple of weeks. What a huge burden off their backs. It has been awesome to realize we never have to think about him or adjust our lives or schedules around him again.
Part two of this is that both boys want Chris to adopt them and to change their names. Now we doubt that this is an option as long as their father has to sign over parental rights. However we are not sure we want it RIGHT NOW -- If he is going to continue to pay child support and not demand to see them then we will continue to put his money in a college fund for them. We have discovered through much research that it is pretty common for step-children to be adopted after they turn 18. It requires NO parental consent, and makes the family tie legal for such things as medical, inheritance etc. . . So the boys are hoping to go this route when they get older.
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