Thread: Stressed beyond

Husband is laid off, winter rising heat costs, speeding ticket, can't afford health insurance, my thumb is numb, can't find a second job, seamstress not a useful talent, dealing with police due to discovering a neighbor boy was molested, boy is my son's best friend. Someone shoot me now.

Bleh. Sorry to hear it, Kat. I know that feeling of everything just sucking all too well. Money stress is the worst.

You'll get through it. And when you get to the other side you'll be able to look back and be proud of how you managed when you did it really tough.
(I hold onto that hope when things are bad here, anyway.)

*hugs* I hope something lets up for you.

Thanks.

All the stress managed to get me sick this weekend and I missed out on a small business class that I really wanted to attend. But I couldn't even walk, my equilibrium was all messed up. I kept falling over. I looked drunk.

Today was better. I hit the pavement today, handed out a dozen resumes. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get a call. I think a lot of the problem is that I'm overqualified for Target and such, they don't even call. I'd be willing to work minimum wage. I just need a job.

I'm sorry Kat. But you are determined and resourceful, I can see that. You will land on your feet somehow. Very sorry about the boy too.
We get insurance through my husbands company, but it is the first insurance I have ever had and nice though it is, I'd drop it in a heartbeat if my husband lost the job. I grew up with none, and somehow we got by. There is no way on earth my parents could have paid insurance premiums like I see so many struggling to do, and still kept us afloat.
Hoping something comes soon for you guys.

Thanks. I guess one good thing came of getting laid off, the kids are now on state insurance. One less worry.

I'm very frustrated with the police. It's a very serious matter and you would think that with the possible scope of magnitude that we are talking about here they would get right on it. But still haven't heard back from them since the initial report. The initial officer seemed to think we would get a call within 24 hours from the detectives. Guess he was wrong.

About the kid: Try getting in touch with Child Protective Services, if you haven't already. They are not law enforcement, they're social workers. They can talk to you and give you advice and resources that will help YOU deal with the situation.

I know this for a fact--I recently called them myself, I mean just last week. I felt really guilty about doing this, as the people involved are people I've known for over 20 years now; I've known the kids in the family, now adults and parents themselves, since they were little. There's a situation ongoing that started to make even me--yes, even bad evil old me who dislikes and tries to avoid children whenever possible--feel like I wanted to call the cops on someone. The guilt about doing that to someone I knew, plus worrying about the little kids who are in danger AND about what the parents might do to me if they knew I had dropped a dime on them, just about drove me crazy so I called a mental health line to talk to a counselor and that person told me to call Child Protective Services.

So finally I called them and I'm glad I did. I think you should do that, too, if this situation is stressing you out. The cops are not gonna be nice to you--it's not their job to be nice to people, it's their job to keep the peace and bust felons. You're not a felon (at least I HOPE you aren't) and they can't bust you or take their frustrations out on you--you're probably more of an annoyance to them at this point, and they can't discuss their case with you anyway.

You did the right thing to get help for a poor kid who was being hurt, but you should try to get some help for yourself too.

Good luck! I hope things start going better. xoxo

Thanks for the advice. In my experience CPS does jack but I'm glad they were of help to you. Good to know that some aren't so overworked that they can actually do their job.

It could have been worse. Whether or not the police do anything about it no child I know is going to that house now. It wasn't very serious, could have led to something so much worse, but neither boy was injured or traumatized. They are just 5, probably won't remember it when they grow up. So I guess I'll count my blessings.

*hugs* I am sorry to hear you're going through all this crap. They say money can't make you happy but I say MY ASS IT CAN'T! In hard times I always try to remember this too shall pass. I even got it tattooed on my forearm so I can see it every day. Sometimes we need a hell of alot of reminding!

Sorry to hear it, Kat, my husband's out of work, too, my baby daughter's face has swollen up twice with some mysterious allergy (two trips to the ER) and we were all exposed to strep which I was hoping missed us but now my throat hurts. Fantastic when my daughter's on a steroid for the swelling and it lowers immune response, eh?

Fun, fun.

Thanks Katie. I keep reminding myself that negativity will not get me anywhere.

Sorry Foxxee. When it rains it pours. I hope your daughter feels better soon. Discovering what caused an allergic reaction can be such a trial. Is your daughter still nursing? If you do end up with strep then her response shouldn't be too bad if she's nursing. Sorry I don't know how old she is. My older son got scarlet fever at the end of last school year. I didn't realize that it was a systematic reaction to strep throat. Poor little guy was miserable for a week. But no one else in the household got it, even my husband who has immune issues. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that even if you are coming down with it no one else gets it.

I was at the pediatrician with her today and she said pretty much the same thing so the poor kid isn't automatically doomed. I do have to journey down into Pittsburgh to take her to an allergist, though.

How long has your husband been out of work? I know how disheartening that is, I hope he finds something soon. It's really tough that you have to hunt for a second job, too.

The thing about your son's friend is particularly bad, it's one thing when you have to deal with something that happens to you but it seems to be a thousand times worse when one of the kids is endangered.

So far he's been out of work for a week. But it seems like he'd just started that job, he'd only been working 6 months. Before that he was out of work for 9 months.

That sounds so familiar, sorry to hear that job ended so quick. This has been a cyclical thing for a while now and it's getting really old!