S is 31 years old now and in September 2014, she moved out into a home of her own. She did not move out into a typical home for her age but instead she moved into a group home with 11 other people with intellectual disabilities. It was not our dream for S to move into a large group home especially since there are so many other alternatives, now. But we all got to the point of realizing that S needed friends her own age, more social opportunities, and a life of her own. Of all the houses we visited for about 9 years, this is the home she chose.
After a period of tears and trauma when she first moved out, we have all settled down into a layered life of greater fulfillment. S has good friends who she talks about and who really seem to like her. She goes shopping for her own groceries, goes to parties and dances, decides how she wants her hair and nails done, and goes to church. These might sound like little things but she didn't have these opportunities with us. We gave her as good of a life as we could, but it wasn't her life. We didn't go to church, so she didn't. Now she has found out on her own that this is important to her.
With us, she did what we did. Now, she does what she wants.
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