Dear Ferret Folks-

I have a six year old nephew whom I love more than my own life. I write
of him often here, little Alexander.

He is having a hell of a time. Due to a very *bad* domestic situation,
my sister has thrown Alexander's father out forever, is getting a
divorce. This is entirely appropriate, and a relief to everyone who
knows the facts of the situation. Still, it is a tragedy from the
child's point of view, compounded by the fact that Alex knows full
well that his father is homeless, and living in his car. Somewhere.

Like most consistently "funny" people, I am "funny" because I have been
dealt some pretty hard knocks in life. I turn to humor because the big
picture is just too unhappy to look at in any other way. It's laugh at
it all or go mad. I've gone mad a few times. It's not all it's cracked
up to be, trust me. Crazy is hard work. I know what hard is. And I
think one of hardest things I have ever been handed in this life was
the moment that Alex's Dad let slip that he was homeless in front of
the child during a supervised visit, and was living in a car. (My
sister reasonably has a restraining order, I supervise the father/son
visits.)

Alex took it all in, he thought about it a few moments and he looked up
at me and asked in a small, soft serious voice that sounded so wrong in
a small childs mouth "Aunt? Can my Daddy stay with you and Uncle in the
ferret room?" The ferret room has a sleeper sofa that is Alex's bed on
sleep over nights here. I had to look into those blue eyes, brimming
with unshed tears and say "No, hon. That's not going to be possible."
Six year olds should not have to deal with this kind of thing.

Oh, it gets worse. Alexander has ADHD and his school is trying to chuck
him out and send him to another school with a different Special Ed
program against our families will. The school admits that the kid is
not rude, profane, argumentative, violent, or destructive. But they
don't want to deal with him, or any *other* child with special needs.
We are working with a lawyer, and we *are* going to win, but some
ASS*OLE school official let slip that Alex was being booted to the
other school in front of at least one student, who went and told all
the other kids. Alexander is now being taunted about being "sent to
Juvvie" and the other school. Most of the school officials are
appropriately horrified by this, but the damage has been done.
Alexander is *terrified*, and does not want to leave his school and
his friends.

So. He's six. His family has been shattered, his father has lost his
mind (I'm not kidding, he's in and out of psychiatric hospitals when he
is not living in his car) and he knows that he is in danger of being
bussed many miles away to a strange school for being somehow defective.
Look at this from a six year old's point of view. It's da*ned bleak.
And all this has just happened in the last two months.

If you have a moment, I have a favor to ask. Easter is the first big
holiday since Dad got thrown out of the house. Alexander is terribly
excited about Easter, but the kid is dragging. He's been through hell,
and from a child's perspective, nothing is ever going to be OK again.
If you could, would you please consider dropping him an Easter card or
a little note? He is a lifelong friend to ferrets, and right now he
really needs some TLC. I'd really appreciate it. He is trying so hard
to hold it all together, and he's just a little kid who still believes
in the Bunny. My heartfelt thanks if anybody could take the time out
to make it a special day, the way it should be. Basket. Plastic grass.
Jelly beans. And maybe for a little while, not Social Workers, School
Psychologists, and the occasional supervised visit with a broken and
inadequate father.

Alexander Hale
23 Esty Rd.
Princeton MA
01541

Thank you
Alexandra in MA

[Posted in FML 6652]