Gazelle

"Well, you knew she would gazelle." replied our post-adopt  worker upon hearing about Lynn's latest disappearing act. At first I was annoyed. Felt like the situation was being taken just too lightly - like she really doesn't understand the effect this has on me. But it's growing on me. Gazelle as a verb. I knew she would gazelle. Hmm.

Houdini

My little runaway pulled her Houdini act again over the weekend. No trigger. No issues. No communication. Just gone. Received a text from the bio Aunt that she was spotted in the city with her bio mom again - with a friend heading to the Vape store.  After a weekend of reveling she deigned herself to message me late on Sunday saying she was at the neighbor's house. I admit to a little act of passive aggression and refused to respond to her directly after nonchalantly just re-entering life assuming all would just return to normal. Our neighbor agreed to keep her for the night and she managed to make it to school the next day but then again did not appear home and bedtime was nigh. At about 8pm  I received the following message, "can I come home or are you going to be mean again?" Wait. What? How does you disappearing for a full weekend with no trace translate into me being mean? How in the world does  one parent a 17 year old who is engaging in high-level risky behaviors but still has the thought processing of a toddler?!