Good day for mending fences. The neighbor came by with gifts for my girls. I haven't treated him badly, sought revenge, or any of that. He said, he has expressed the wrong to his children. They are respectful & almost fearful of me. @DrMcSkunkins is right. Forgiveness is the right way.
My youngest adopted son has had some issues, as of late... well, for a while. His father saved my brother's life. So, when he came to me for help, I didn't hesitate. But, alas, not everyone deserves help. He had beaten this kid, to the point only a violent shell remained. His mother wanted nothing to do with the child. One day, his father left town. We took him in. He respects me, not because I fought for him, but for my skills with a horse. It took acts of Congress to get him in school. Once there, he kept trying his boundaries, the school's boundaries and so forth. He's a smart kid, but there are demons that'd do better in public. Eventually, he was expelled from school. We tried online schools, but he got into heroin. I choked out the guy he'd gotten it from, but the downward spiral had begun. He got a girl pregnant, the daughter of one of my oldest friends. Her granddad gave him a full time job, a total family privilege. He moved out. Eventually, domestic violence perpetuates itself, though. He beat her, & put her in the hospital. I wasn't very happy.
Months later, he's realized that my intentions were true. Including one key thing, I advocate for the child. Now, that's his daughter, not him.
I treat him just as he asked, as a man... But less, because of his actions. He's only 16, though. I can't condemn him for life, can I?
