Gawd, I’m SO bored!
There’s nothing to
do in this place except eat, nap, play games on the laptop, eat, work on my
book, nap, listen to the emergency vehicles (next door to a fire station), watch the CTA
buses zoom by, eat, nap, do chores (every resident is assigned a chore) and then listen
to the yelling and screaming all night long.
SO much drama happens here ...someone should do a reality show about this place.
Yep, that was my
first weekend here at Safe Haven. Life here is faux-bulous …we’re living the
high life every day. However, since I arrived during a holiday weekend, I can’t
leave the building until I do “intake” (getting processed “officially” as an
ASHF resident) on Monday. So, my daughter and I are totally stuck in this crazy
place …actually more like held prisoner against our will within this chaotic
madhouse.
Whoever said
“…motherhood is a beautiful thing…” hasn’t seen the mothers at this place. Some
here need more than just parenting classes. They need family counseling
…therapy …anger management and mentorship. I can count the number of times I’ve
heard these “young” moms yell, berate, scream, et al at their kids even in the
most foulest of language. I’m no “Mother of the Year” either …I have my faults
when it comes to parenting. And yes, I can angry at my daughter too but not in
a way I would do it like the others here would.
Sometimes, there
are moments when peaceful silence surrounds the floor …yet those moments a
strange rarity but the walls are so thin you can hear the rooms on either side
(especially if you share a vent with the next room) and the room above you.
Instead of banding together, there was cliques (yep, just like high school) ...factions of mothers. And when it comes to cliques - there's also bullying ...not just on at the resident level but also at kid level as well as between certain staff members (more about that in an upcoming blog post). My daughter and I make it a habit to avoid such people around here. I only have one goal in mind - to get the heck out of here as soon as possible. It's kinda hard finding another mother who's likeminded or close to your level around here. It's nice to bond with my daughter since we're both on the same intellectual level but it's also nice to have adult conversations with another adult. My roommate is okay ...her two daughters are a riot!.
My first weekend
was a definite learning experience. Never knew there were SO many hours in a
day when usually I’m out and about covering local/indie bands …for the first
time in a long while, I’m stuck inside …borderline experiencing cabin fever.
Yep, almost went bonkers being so bored ...luckily I have my unfinished book to somewhat keep me and movies to keep me busy . There’s nothing much to do here except
hang out at the computer lab to connect to the Wi-Fi. Other than that, you
either have an overnight pass (get to that later in this blog) or you’re stuck
watching the snowflakes fall. Nothing much for the kids to do here either. As I
mentioned, it’s not a kid-friendly place.
Weekends totally
suck …can’t wait to get out and feel the
sun shining …the cold Chicago
On that Monday, I
was SO happy to breathe the fresh air when taking my daughter to school. Yeah,
it was cold but it never tasted so good after spending a weekend locked up in a
gilded cage. After doing intake, I spent most of that roaming around town.
Freedom never
tasted so deliciously sweet.
Ah…
To be continued…
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