A bit of a shock

Today was a bit of a shock that came in the form of a phone call... let me back up.

Typically, as in for the last 6 years, Tim and I have ventured up to Camp Barakel for their Labor Day Family Camp.  We weren't sure this year if it would be possible, but still hoped it might.  The first thing to be done was for first see if Tim would have it off [especially since he started a new job, this was especially questionable!].  It took until yesterday to finally get that answer.  Yes.
Second step, talk to little boy and baby girl's parents to see about the possibility of rescheduling the parenting time so we could actually take the for the weekend. 

Now... back up even further.  Knowing that this weekend was coming, I actually approached the kids' social worker several months ago to see if she even thought it was a possibility.  She said yes, but it would take a bit of rescheduling, but should still work. 
So today, I call her up and ask what needed to be done to get permission and reschedule things.  She simply said she would need to talk to their parents and set it up.  Simple.  No problem.

A few minutes later I answer the phone and it's her on the line.  She said, "Well since they will probably be going home just after that weekend, we'll just plan on them having an over night with their parents."  Um... AN overnight?  It's three nights in a row and four days total!!!  This is not just one night... and besides, their next court date isn't until a week and a half after that weekend!  That's a long time for both things!!!

So Tim jumps on the phone and we start trying to figure things out.  She gets defensive and keeps saying it's what her supervisor suggested.  That's fine and dandy and all, but thinking about the kids, what are they going to be thinking when all of a sudden they are home for such a long time and suddenly are brought back to our house for a few weeks?  To them it might seem like they are being removed again, and how would that affect their emotions and such?  Her reply went back and forth between accusing us that we thought it would be too stressful to go back to their parents [no!  We were saying it would be stressful to come back to us!] and trying to say this was the ONLY solution to us being able to be gone for the weekend.

In the midst of all of this, it also came out that she was going to be recommending that the kids go back ASAP after the court case.  I get that.  It make sense.  But at the last meeting we had with her, she implied that it would take a few weeks after the court case until they returned home.  Now suddenly she's saying she hopes for and will recommend they are home the weekend following court. 

I guess it's good that now we have a date-ish.  But I feel like we were totally blindsided by it.  That she mislead us the whole way about time length and such.  We've been told so many different things.  It's frustrating!

All this really brought a lot of emotions to the surface though.  I've been on and off tearing up/crying all morning/afternoon.  We knew they were going home... we get it.  It's the purpose of foster care.  Their parents have done really well at getting their act in order.  They've made a 180 degree turn in their lives and I really hope it sticks.  But the reality is, the kids are leaving and leaving soon.  Wow.  It's hard and it stinks!