Petra, if you knew my life... Five kids, five dogs, Christmas, three-day vacation in Santa Barbara this weekend for more ^%#^%$!! Christmas with relatives, one son's birthday (12/29), New Year's Eve, my birthday (1/4); one daughter's adoption day (1/16); another son's birthday
(1/19),Valentine's Day, a novel to finish, a very sick brother to take care of, infusions of gamma globulin at Stanford (7 hr. rt. every three weeks for life); about one solid year of paperwork piled on my desk (no, I'm not exaggerating, including Lily's formal American adoption (just 1.5 years late) and on and on it goes.

Whoever would like to set up the criteria may do so. How about you, Petra? I'll go with whatever.

Oh, did I mention us having to sue the family of the neighbor boy who molested our 13 yr. old daughter in her sleep? The boy admits to it, but the mother, a former good friend of mine, I guess needs someone to blame for her lousy parenting. Hello? I've given her six months to ask her son to sincerely apologize to my daughter, and he won't. So he is going to become toast.

Any lawyers on this list who could offer some free legal advice? All three of my daughters are adopted, and came from countries that do not take good care of their children. Though this woman's son admitted to the molestation, and a police report is on file, I don't know how to go about filing a civil action against them. Small claims, I imagine, would be the cleanest route.

I had even warned this mother the night my daughter spent the night that it was *not* a good idea for her 13 yr. old son to sleep in the camper with the girls.

Grr.

She had been molested for several years in her home country, and I guess she brushes it off because she is accostomed to it. That is going to mess with her self esteem big time as an adult if I just let this go.

Well, she home now, this brat violated her in her sleep, and I need to fight for her rights and dignity. I've tried every possibility of reconcilliation out there, to no avail. I hate the thought of getting legal, but her son took something from my daughter, and she has got to realize that his behavior (and his mother's) must be accounted for.

So I'll have to get litigious, but there is no way I am going to let our 13 year old daughter get the impression that is okay for others to violate her body and emotions in this way.

So you or someone else please handle this one, if you'd like
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Too tired to proof read.

Don, I tried calling you back three times, but your line was busy. Sent you email instead.

'night.

Cathryn

More than my hands full.

Would some