Having a toddler full-time at 72 is difficult, and maybe unfair.
Roger that. The little girl has lost her dad of a drug overdose and her mother has put her at risk by not taking care of her properly. She's also a drug addict and alcoholic. She has untreated mental heath issues as well.
The state took the child away from the mother and placed her in my home as a foster child in June until the mother could get her act together. That hasn't happened and the family court judge will permanently sever the mother's parental rights in a hearing next month.
As a side note, this little girl is the 7th child of this woman at 40 years old. She has permanently lost her parental rights for every single one of them. Astonishing.
95% of the time the girl is a charm. We give her a clean home, structure and love, which all little kids needs. But she is a two year old and like most toddlers, she can throw some doozy temper tantrums. And she has separation anxiety about being removed from the mother and acts out besides the tantrums.
But this all comes after being retired for 10 years and living a peaceful life with no drama. My blood pressure rises with the severity of her tantrums and it is stressful on me.
But as far as it being unfair, it is what it is. I didn't expect this in the autumn of my life but I'm doing the best I can. The little girl has no one else so it falls on us. She has no choice in the matter.