Why I do it, the Teenaged Boy Edition

We were eating Hawaiian BBQ and chatting about his siblings. The hulking 18 year old, newly endowed with the wisdom of all worldy things that only comes from surviving on $10 for two weeks, was sharing the fact that he was really disappointed in his parents' behavior. He said that they never acknowledge that it was due to their behavior that their children live in foster care and that really annoys him. He said that the fact that his father's eight siblings never stepped in to take he and his siblings into their homes really hurts him, and that he would never allow a niece or nephew to go into foster care. And then he delivered the line that broke my heart:

"I was talking with my uncle and he told me that I needed to be more understanding of my mother's feelings. I told him that while she was my biological mother, that you and Gen (other CASA) are my real mothers - my children will call the two of you Grandma."

People ask me how I can balance so many things in my life...how I can prioritize these kids above even my own needs...and there's your answer.