Prison and Paperchasing

Today we had our last in-home visit with our social worker. Then we took a family field trip to our county jail. We had to have a form stating that we don't actually BELONG in jail, and in order to get this, you have to go there. I guess it's a precautionary way that the sheriff, if you belong there, can grab you right then. When we got to the door, Eli backpedaled some (I was a little intimidated too) and said, "I'm not going in there." But I pulled him in and we walked past some bars, screens for viewing incarcerated loved ones, and into the records hall. The woman in there, God bless her, was so kind! She gave all my kids treats then went to the trouble of getting our forms notarized in triplicate without making us return for an appointment (which normally is required). So we got to check that little box off, but the rest of the afternoon didn't go as well. The employment letter has a notarization on it that expires next week. Good for our homestudy, bad for our dossier. It took us approximately 2 hours downtown to get the employment letter notarized. I'm hoping next time there isn't a soda shortage in the office that causes the admin guy to go on a FOUR HOUR soda run without leaving any clue to his whereabouts. I guess it wouldn't be much of a story if I said, "Seth got his employment letter today." AND wouldn't be much of a story for my kids if they didn't get frightened out of their wits and sit like little soldiers in the depths of the county jail for 30 minutes. I think I'll remember this the next time they misbehave at the doctor's office, "Do we need to go back to jail so you can remember how to behave yourselves?."