I announced on another thread that we now have POA over a 14 year old. It started off as a temporary thing (for 4 days), but before the 4 days were up mom decided that we would continue it. She wanted to just write a letter and date it for a year, giving us permission for everything, but I told her that we needed to do POA, because otherwise the letter wouldn't be accepted. POA's are only 6 months, so if it continues, we will obviously be re-doing it.
I found one online that covered everything it needed to (it's 4 pages long) and it's notarized and initialed by all the information and signed by all of us. I tell mom when all med appointments are (she doesn't go, but I tell her), I call her and update her on all appointments and goings-on. We go visit whenever the child wants to (not as often as I thought it would be though). He has a cell phone so that they can have direct access to him whenever they want, and so that he can call them whenever he wants. His siblings are coming over to stay the night with him tonight...we have really tried to keep everyone together.
But my neighbor took it upon himself to discuss our situation at the hospital he works at. He doesn't know what's included in our POA or what is going on, but felt the need to tell me how I could lose the child (yes, I'm aware - she's still his legal parent), how the hospital won't accept my POA (they already have...), that I could be charged criminally if the mom gets mad at me about anything (It's in the POA that I can't.) and that I could get in trouble for coercion (I told mom that I thought she was a great mom because she was so down. I do think this, I just don't agree with everything she does), and that I can't do anything because I don't have guardianship.
I told him that I am okay taking a risk to insure that the child is okay and safe and that if something came up, I would just deal with it because the child is more important to me than any risk. He then had the nerve to tell me that it's better for the child to just stay at home because he's eventually going to have to go back and then it will just be worse for him.
I want to scream. I want to yell. Why does this child not deserve to be loved and taken care of for even a short period of time? Mom agreed to all of this! The way she talks, she may not even ask for him back and will just keep renewing the POA (at which point we would probably discuss guardianship to make it more stable and secure). I walked away from him, but I'm so angry. I knew I would get people who didn't understand, but I didn't expect to feel this angry about it. I've gone from no kids to a 14 year old (I'm 26, DH is 25). We are doing great, wonderful actually. I just feel so protective now and this is really, really bothering me.
I found one online that covered everything it needed to (it's 4 pages long) and it's notarized and initialed by all the information and signed by all of us. I tell mom when all med appointments are (she doesn't go, but I tell her), I call her and update her on all appointments and goings-on. We go visit whenever the child wants to (not as often as I thought it would be though). He has a cell phone so that they can have direct access to him whenever they want, and so that he can call them whenever he wants. His siblings are coming over to stay the night with him tonight...we have really tried to keep everyone together.
But my neighbor took it upon himself to discuss our situation at the hospital he works at. He doesn't know what's included in our POA or what is going on, but felt the need to tell me how I could lose the child (yes, I'm aware - she's still his legal parent), how the hospital won't accept my POA (they already have...), that I could be charged criminally if the mom gets mad at me about anything (It's in the POA that I can't.) and that I could get in trouble for coercion (I told mom that I thought she was a great mom because she was so down. I do think this, I just don't agree with everything she does), and that I can't do anything because I don't have guardianship.
I told him that I am okay taking a risk to insure that the child is okay and safe and that if something came up, I would just deal with it because the child is more important to me than any risk. He then had the nerve to tell me that it's better for the child to just stay at home because he's eventually going to have to go back and then it will just be worse for him.
I want to scream. I want to yell. Why does this child not deserve to be loved and taken care of for even a short period of time? Mom agreed to all of this! The way she talks, she may not even ask for him back and will just keep renewing the POA (at which point we would probably discuss guardianship to make it more stable and secure). I walked away from him, but I'm so angry. I knew I would get people who didn't understand, but I didn't expect to feel this angry about it. I've gone from no kids to a 14 year old (I'm 26, DH is 25). We are doing great, wonderful actually. I just feel so protective now and this is really, really bothering me.
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