House of Kaos

House of Kaos…and Love

Forcing themselves to look past the myriad of tubes, I.V.s and bandages, Amber and Tara  stood together by the specially made crib, tears streaming down usually stoic cheeks. How could they cry when this beautiful tiny face screwed itself into his signature lopsided grin, even around the tube forcing air into his lungs?

            They knew his outstretched arms meant he was asking to be picked up and perhaps taken away from needles, medicines and restraints. But all they could do was grasp his little hands and play Patty Cake. And still he smiled, his whole body wiggling as best it could against the bandages holding the feeding tube in place and pinning him to the mattress.

             Even before fostering the four siblings that would become five with the addition of Simba, this remarkable duo had taken in a trio of preteen cousins. Dominic, Cameron and Joshua knew their cousins from family get togethers and had spent the night a couple of times when they were younger, but moving in permanently was a big adjustment for all concerned.

            Barely fifteen years older than the boys, Amber and Tara dove into motherhood leading with their hearts. They knew that even in this enlightened age mixed race kids with two mothers would be facing some problems. In typical Amber and Tara fashion met all incidences head on, teaching the boys to do the same.

            Things eventually settled into a routine with Cameron and Joshua beginning to catch up on schoolwork missed in a new school, making new friends and new household chores. Dominic opted to go live with another relative, keeping in touch and obtained his G.E.D. Amber and Tara quickly embraced a lifestyle of working full time jobs and caring for a new family which also included two large pit bull mix dogs. Gone were long weekend couch potato marathons, replaced with running from football fields to basketball courts to soccer fields, quick weekday morning runs with the dogs became looking for lost shoes, lost backpacks, lost homework, lost dogs…the latter usually found under a bed chewing on said lost shoes.

As with most families one adult drifted into the role of enforcer and the other fit the role of pushover perfectly. Sometimes switching roles, it was no shock when each discovered the other had caved in and bought the extra toy or allowed the extra 30 minutes of screen time.

            When the little apartment began bursting at the seams they found a house with an extra bedroom for aunt Darlene and uncle David to join the growing family, give Amber and Tara a hand raising the two rambunctious boys and use their parenting experience to help everyone assimilate. This proved to be a surprise blessing when uncle David had a severe Diabetic incident. Nine-year-old Joshua found him incoherent and knew he needed sugar immediately, not finding sugar he stirred a container of cake sprinkles in hot water and held his uncles head while he sipped. 

            This house served its purpose well until an opportunity to foster another set of brothers who had been bounced around the system presented itself. The conversation of ‘should we, or shouldn’t we?’ was short indeed and it wasn’t long before the two moms were house hunting once again.

To be continued....