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Pennington Point Mother Still Makes No Sense


nelliebelle1197

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I have 2 daughters, 7 and 5. One of the major things I try to keep in mind while I'm raising them is that someday, they'll be adults, making their own choices. It's my job to give them the tools so that later (when they're older, obviously) they can think critically, question thinks, and MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES.

Hell, my 7 year old is a Type 1 diabetic and part of managing her condition is teaching her to manage it herself. Yes, even at 7. She knows more about her pump and hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia than most grown adults, because she HAS TO. I can't be with her every moment of every day, and even medical professionals aren't always aware of modern diabetes treatments. I'm teaching her to be her own advocate, that it doesn't matter if the teacher says no eating, if your blood sugar is low, you pop a handful of Skittles because it can be life-threatening not to do it.

Can you imagine Pennington Point mom teaching her little kids that they have to advocate for themselves? Not likely. I hope Faith assists the other ones in escaping.

I'm glad you are encouraging your daughter to take care of herself at age 7. I have a friend's whose 26 year old daughter has just been diagnosed with diabetes and he basically rearranged his life to take care of her and now come into work late every day because her is is talking care of her. It doesn't occur to him that she us an adult and needs to learn how to manage her illness

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Nope. You hit the nail on the head. I am so sad for your friend. There is nothing you can do. A dear work friend of mine had a similar situation last summer. Her husband is a deep well of pure pain; she is coping through her volunteerism and general goodness.

Lisa can't see past her own selfishness to see a hell of a lot worse could have happened. People with no empathy are my silver bullet. I just can't bear people who cannot see outside themselves. Lisa.

First off, @ CelticGoddess and nelliebelle, I am sorry to hear about both of your friends' losses. That has to be so hard.

Re: Lisa, yes, her daughter left and perhaps she didn't have to leave the way she did, but in any case, her daughter is still living. To equate it with an actual death, well, let's just say that this woman has no idea. No idea at all. it just kills me when people equates child leaving to a death.

Lisa strikes me as the sort of person where even if the glass is 7/8's full, she will rail about the missing 1/8. No one gets 100% in life and there's a lot more bad things in life that she could (and still might) experience than having her daughter leave.

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I found and am following Faith's Instagram! In one of her last posts, she said she was going to go see "Mockingjay: Part 1" on opening day (I think). I saw it the next day, and it was awesome. I really liked the districts rebelling against the oppressive and unjust Capitol.

There were two really good scenes. First, 7 (the lumber district) showed people going to cut trees while a loudspeaker said "Quotas have been increased by [whatever percent], and all work shifts have been extended by two hours...anyone who refuses will be shot." Cut to people walking through a pine forest. One dude sees the Mockingjay symbol high on a tree, and does Rue's whistle and the salute. Everyone charges the Peacekeepers, who shoot. Then, the surviving workers climb the trees to avoid being shot. Cut to one man smiling in a tree, and the ground the Peacekeepers are on blows up underneath them, killing them all.

The other rebellion they showed was either district 3 (tech) or 5 (power). Anyway, there was a huge hydroelectric dam, heavily guarded. A large group of workers walk up on the "rails" between the waterfalls, singing Katniss's "Hanging Tree" song and carrying what looks like small coffins. Again, lots of shooting and chaos, but some people still survive and beat up or shoot the Peacekeepers. A few people each carry the small coffins into the dam itself, and run. Then the dam blows- you see the boxes aren't coffins after all- they were bombs!

I hope Faith was paying attention and not getting popcorn or texting during the District rebellions. I think they're a metaphor for what she did- and now, like 13's president said in the movie, Faith has to "make a new Panem" for herself. The controlling, mean, power-hungry-ness of her mother does remind me a lot of President Snow.

Also, link here for the song I mentioned. I can't get it out of my head!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTiQRPQJR9E (not breaking, it's YouTube).

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Lisa is previewing the new Hunger Games movie for her children. I assume that includes her adult children, or surely she would have invited them to see it with her in the first place.

I'm going to let that sink in for a moment.

She is previewing a movie based on a YA series and rated PG-13 for her ADULT CHILDREN, in order to determine whether or not they will be allowed to see it.

Run, Faith, run.

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First off, @ CelticGoddess and nelliebelle, I am sorry to hear about both of your friends' losses. That has to be so hard.

Re: Lisa, yes, her daughter left and perhaps she didn't have to leave the way she did, but in any case, her daughter is still living. To equate it with an actual death, well, let's just say that this woman has no idea. No idea at all. it just kills me when people equates child leaving to a death.

Lisa strikes me as the sort of person where even if the glass is 7/8's full, she will rail about the missing 1/8. No one gets 100% in life and there's a lot more bad things in life that she could (and still might) experience than having her daughter leave.

Let's not ignore the fact that she is choosing not to have a relationship with her daughter. I think if she went to her daughter and sincerely apologized and asked to go to counciling with her and work it out, it would be a start. But no she is just cutting her out. BY CHOICE.

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So is Lisa at the point of truly shunning Faith and her parents?

It sounded like there was some limited communication and a face to face in the first few days or weeks of Faith leaving.

Also, I'm sure Lisa would only go to a Christian counselor (who followed her exact beliefs) or the elders of her church (godly men) and before the split, Faith was seeing a counselor who Lisa referred to as a godless and foolish woman, so not a lot of common ground there.

Is Faith is back in Kerrville, or still visiting a friend up north?

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She strikes me as the inverse of "the man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan."

Only she has killed her relatonship with her daughter and now revels in the attention of her running-dog sycophants.

The first example is often used to define "chutzpah."

This girl [sic] defines plain old "arrogance!"

That said, I have a question. Faith is the fourth child, no? So of those young adults in the family van, at least 3 are over 18 -- do they have jobs? Go to college? Trade school? I know they can't sleep in nor stay in their pj's but what the FARCK?!?!?

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Lisa is previewing the new Hunger Games movie for her children. I assume that includes her adult children, or surely she would have invited them to see it with her in the first place.

I'm going to let that sink in for a moment.

She is previewing a movie based on a YA series and rated PG-13 for her ADULT CHILDREN, in order to determine whether or not they will be allowed to see it.

Run, Faith, run.

I think that if you are over the age in the rating, you don't need to have mommy preview it before you watch. Especially if youre an adult.

I took my 11 year old to see it.

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From the sounds of it, the grandparents helped her escape... but now that avenue has been cut off for the younger children. I hope the older sister will ride in and help some of the younger ones escape.

Do you read Cunthia Jeub's blog? The comments by her older sister are heartwarming, I think having a sister-mother on the outside is tremendously helpful for these kids.

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Let's not ignore the fact that she is choosing not to have a relationship with her daughter. I think if she went to her daughter and sincerely apologized and asked to go to counciling with her and work it out, it would be a start. But no she is just cutting her out. BY CHOICE.

Agree that she is choosing not to have a relationship with her daughter and also choosing that her daughter is "dead" to her. Unlike a real death.

However, I don't see her apologizing and I certainly don't see her agreeing to any "real" counseling. However, I could see her (Lisa) insisting on "Christian" counseling, that would reinforce her beliefs that she is right and Faith is wrong, as part of terms of any kind of reconciliation. Because reconciliation to her is going to involve her being right, no matter what. It's not going to involve any compromise or seeing each other's point of view.

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So is Lisa at the point of truly shunning Faith and her parents?

It sounded like there was some limited communication and a face to face in the first few days or weeks of Faith leaving.

Also, I'm sure Lisa would only go to a Christian counselor (who followed her exact beliefs) or the elders of her church (godly men) and before the split, Faith was seeing a counselor who Lisa referred to as a godless and foolish woman, so not a lot of common ground there.

Is Faith is back in Kerrville, or still visiting a friend up north?

Faith appears to be in Georgetown, which is a little bit north of Austin. I wonder if that's where her grandparents live. I hope she has an opportunity to pursue a real education.

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Yes, I'm in Austin. There is a small but highly ranked private liberal arts college in Georgetown (Southwestern University), which is nonsectarian but associated with the Methodist Church. It would be a perfect fit for Faith, but, like most private colleges, it is $$$$$, plus it sounds as though competition for entry is quite competitive. New students are required to live on campus, at a total cost (tuition, fees, room, board, misc expenses) at a bit under $50,000/year. :shock:

Tuition alone is $36,120. :shock:

They do address home schooled applicants, who must have a current SAT score.

Just looking at Faith's instagram, she seems to be a creative type and I hope that, for all her faults, that her mother encouraged that in Faith as well as her other children.

No matter what I hope that Faith will be in some type of college program (community college?) or vocational program moving towards something that will allow her to go out in the world and support herself.

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I'm glad you are encouraging your daughter to take care of herself at age 7. I have a friend's whose 26 year old daughter has just been diagnosed with diabetes and he basically rearranged his life to take care of her and now come into work late every day because her is is talking care of her. It doesn't occur to him that she us an adult and needs to learn how to manage her illness

To be fair, getting used to type 1 diabetes is a very scary, daunting thing and it can take a while to get settled with a routine and knowing how to manage it. My sister is a type 1 diabetic and she's had it for 20 years now so is used to managing it, but she works with newly diagnosed people and it's a very difficult thing to learn to manage. I can see why he is trying to help her and is concerned, my sister has said even middle aged adults need support as they learn to deal with it. She will need to learn to self manage of course, but if it is a very recent diagnosis, I can actually understand it.

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Have you seen the essential oils racks that her family makes and sells? Such shabby workmanship! I would never put that up on my wall

They look like wooden things from the dollar store that have white paint and chalkboard paint added... Certainly not worth €44.33 :wtf:

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They look like wooden things from the dollar store that have white paint and chalkboard paint added... Certainly not worth €44.33 :wtf:

Carpentry and painting of The Dining Room Table :D

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To be fair, getting used to type 1 diabetes is a very scary, daunting thing and it can take a while to get settled with a routine and knowing how to manage it. My sister is a type 1 diabetic and she's had it for 20 years now so is used to managing it, but she works with newly diagnosed people and it's a very difficult thing to learn to manage. I can see why he is trying to help her and is concerned, my sister has said even middle aged adults need support as they learn to deal with it. She will need to learn to self manage of course, but if it is a very recent diagnosis, I can actually understand it.

Not to hijack the thread, but please do not assume a parent is overreacting with a newly diagnosed child, even if the child is an adult. This 26 year old person with diabetes needs a fuckton of help before they can manage on their own.

With Type 1, the person is literally taking over the function of a hormone-producing organ. Without the hormone, they'll die. Too much of the hormone can kill them. Learning how to manage something that is different every day is insane. I mean INSANE. There is no logic and no consistency to this disease.

For example, tonight I am sitting here with a timer waiting to go do a fingerstick blood test on my daughter, because her blood sugar shot up very, very high for no reason we could find. I changed the inset on her pump (shot a needle into her, which left a little plastic cannula behind through which insulin is delivered), gave her a "correction" dose by syringe, now I wait.

If her blood sugar goes too high, she could wind up in the hospital with something called DKA, which can develop very quickly. I am testing her every hour until it's in range. This may mean waking up every hour until 3 or 4am, sticking her finger, checking it, and then going back to bed, or waking her up to give more insulin, or calling the hospital.

Last night, her continuous glucose monitor (which is not as accurate as a fingerstick test, but gives an idea of the trends, if the blood sugar is going up, going down, or steady) sensor failed during a hypoglycemic episode, so I was poking her finger every 20 minutes and waking her up to drink and eat to bring her sugar up. This went on from 8pm to 1am, when she leveled out.

Neither of these things are unusual in a diabetic. And it may be a growth spurt, hormones, getting sick, who knows - anything can out their blood sugar out of whack. People can bounce between hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia very quickly, both of which are dangerous.

My daughter's diabetes is considered to be very well controlled. I have not slept more than four hours in a row since she was diagnosed. It is utterly, completely and totally terrifying and I'm just the caregiver. She will gradually take on more responsibility, but odds are that she will always have to have a roommate, partner, parent, or someone who can be there in case she goes into DKA, or slips into a coma/has a seizure from low blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes is scary as fuck.

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My husband is a surgically induced type 1. He had a total pancreatectomy and failed autologous islet cell transplant about a year and a half ago. He is a brittle diabetic with swings in glucose readings from 25 to 600+ with no rhyme or reason.

Diabetes is a lifetime of work. We've only been at it for 20 months. Anything and everything can cause crazy readings. Not enough insulin, too much insulin, a cold, emotional upset, eating lunch at 12:30 instead of 12, being active, being inactive. My husband went hypo (low) just playing around in our pool.

Even with continuous glucose monitors and pumps, finger sticks and urine test strips (for DKA), ER runs and hospitalizations happen. Its a crap-shoot on any given day. Fortunately, my boss is a type 1 diabetic and understands what it's like. He has offered my husband a job with the understanding that if my husband's sugars get crazy, he can either go home (we live about 5 miles from work), lay down in an empty office, or whatever he needs to do.

Unfortunately, not all places are so understanding...it's a recognized disability under the ADA, but when you live in a "right to work" state, they can manufacture another reason to get rid of you and never mention the diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is a life-threatening illness. It can turn around and bite you right square in the ass at any time. Diet, exercise, insulin, keeping tabs on glucose levels are great and something all diabetics do, BUT...

And with no pancreas, no duodenum, no gall bladder, no spleen and no abdominal lymph nodes, only being hospitalized once in that 20 months is considered excellent control of the situation.

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My husband is a surgically induced type 1. He had a total pancreatectomy and failed autologous islet cell transplant about a year and a half ago. He is a brittle diabetic with swings in glucose readings from 25 to 600+ with no rhyme or reason.

Diabetes is a lifetime of work. We've only been at it for 20 months. Anything and everything can cause crazy readings. Not enough insulin, too much insulin, a cold, emotional upset, eating lunch at 12:30 instead of 12, being active, being inactive. My husband went hypo (low) just playing around in our pool.

Mine has surgically induced type 1 as well. Near total pancrectomy and gallbladder removal after nearly dying in 2010 (his sugars were over 60 on the Canadian scale and his bilirubin was so high he was resembling the Simpsons). I was the one who managed his diabetes for a long time when he came home because he was in shape to do anything. Luckily, a twitter friend at the time had a hubby who had had Type 1 for a long time and they were a big help. He even introduced us to a much easier way to manage it than we were taught at the hospital that massively decreased the wild swings. We sure didn't get much else in the way of help. I've never heard of this DKA thing, tbh. His is compounded by the fact that his surgeon is an expert in islet cells and actually managed to save some, so his pancreas randomly puts out spurts of insulin. When dh eats virtually nothing, his body is able to manage on its own. Going low is a much bigger worry for us than going high (the health unit informed us that unless it goes over 20 or he's having symptoms, to just give him a correction dose and wait it out). Thankfully he can tell when he's going low, when he hits around 4.5, he starts getting sweaty and shaky. I worry every night he's going to have a low and not notice, though.

I can totally understand why a parent would be helping a child, even an adult child, try to figure out what the heck they're doing for at least 6mths-a year.

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Mine has surgically induced type 1 as well. Near total pancrectomy and gallbladder removal after nearly dying in 2010 (his sugars were over 60 on the Canadian scale and his bilirubin was so high he was resembling the Simpsons). I was the one who managed his diabetes for a long time when he came home because he was in shape to do anything. Luckily, a twitter friend at the time had a hubby who had had Type 1 for a long time and they were a big help. He even introduced us to a much easier way to manage it than we were taught at the hospital that massively decreased the wild swings. We sure didn't get much else in the way of help. I've never heard of this DKA thing, tbh. His is compounded by the fact that his surgeon is an expert in islet cells and actually managed to save some, so his pancreas randomly puts out spurts of insulin. When dh eats virtually nothing, his body is able to manage on its own. Going low is a much bigger worry for us than going high (the health unit informed us that unless it goes over 20 or he's having symptoms, to just give him a correction dose and wait it out). Thankfully he can tell when he's going low, when he hits around 4.5, he starts getting sweaty and shaky. I worry every night he's going to have a low and not notice, though.

I can totally understand why a parent would be helping a child, even an adult child, try to figure out what the heck they're doing for at least 6mths-a year.

My husband has NO functioning islet cells. They were only able to get about 60000 and none of them survived. As soon as we can get the appointment, he's going on the pump. DKA is when sugar is so high that its being excreted in urine.

I know about the overnight low scariness...fortunately, my husband will wake up if he goes low. We keep candy and glucose tablets on his nightstand. But...I have gotten up to make him a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of juice and then sat up waiting to test him...

Have I mentioned that I hate diabetes with a bloody blue passion? Admittedly we chose the lesser of 2 evils...diabetes or death...but...

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