Turn Around...We Hope

It's now several months later and Walter, Jr. is doing better - both with his attitude and his more realistic expectations. I wish I could say the same for his mother, Betty, but that is another story for another time. Walter, Sr. and I still don't fully trust him but we are all working on those issues and Walter, Jr. understands that it will take time and he has to be patient.

Walter, Jr.'s final court hearing was last week. He completed both essays, the letter of apology and his community service hours. Of course, he waited until the last absolute minute, but that was to be expected...he's a teenager after all. The night before his hearing, his father took him to buy a new suit. This was Walter, Jr.'s idea. He recalled how the other offenders and their parents had looked at his previous hearing. Most were extremely casually dressed to put it politely. He wanted to stand out and show he was a different person from the one that had appeared before the judge previously. And Walter, Jr. looked good...black jacket, pants and tie with a deep red shirt. He was so handsome and proud of everything he had accomplished. Our time before the judge was short and sweet - all the charges were dismissed and they wouldn't appear on his record.

As we were driving back home, there was an atmosphere of relief and celebration in the car. When we got back home, Walter, Jr. went in his room and changed out of his suit and hung it back up. He had wanted to wear it to school, but complied with our wishes that he not. Not that he didn't try to talk us into letting him wear it, but he didn't get the usual attitude when we wouldn't relent.

My biggest fear was that after the court case had been settled, things would return to the way they had been before with Walter, Jr. going to his girlfriends every night and us having no real idea if he was really there or not. I'm happy to say that - so far - it hasn't been that way. There has been an equality about where they spend their time that has been very refreshing. I also get the feeling that Walter, Jr. enjoys spending time at home now and doesn't see going to his girlfriend's as the escape it was before.

All is not roses and sweetpeas and I know Walter, Jr. still has quite a bit of maturing left to do. I also know he is going to make a few more mistakes. And then again, he could just be a lot more cunning and manipulative than we give him credit for and all of this could be a ruse...a game he is playing until he turns 18-years-old and his time is up. That is where our hope comes in...the hope that he is beginning to see what he came from and what he could be moving towards.