Middle Boy is at that stage of foster care where the kiddos test to see if you are going to send them away or not.

His behaviors have escalated slightly, but nothing really beyond what a "normal" teenage boy is like...if there is such a thing.

The way his testing is manifesting itself is this....every night for the last three nights he has gotten a quarter out and said "heads I stay, tails I leave".  He flips the quarter.  A number of times it has been tails and he has done two out of three or three out of five. 

I'm not sure what he is looking for from me.  He knows I want him to stay.  We have talked about it many times, at length.  I know that in his world words are just that...words.  It is the follow-up action that means something to him.

The first night he did it I told him it made me sad to think he really thought it was going to be that much up to chance.  I told him God brought him to my house for a reason and that we are family. 

Now when he does it quite honestly it just makes me sad.  Sad that he doesn't trust me enough to believe that he is staying.  I know I haven't earned that trust with him and it might not ever happen.  I am willing to keep trying.

Pray Middle Boy would learn to trust.  Pray he would know that he is safe and that I love him....really love him.