Thank you all. We did have a bit of a chat last night, after I managed to shake most of my headache. I have gone the route so far with two of my own and several of other peoples. (many of you know Wavestar, she is my second child and only daughter) By and large we do pretty well. One of my 'almost mine' is a kid who's sure all of his problems are because he's gay, and we keep telling him that all teens have these probs and it's mostly his intensity that seems to make it worse. Our home is still his safe house when he's feeling suicidal.

So I do know a fair amount about dealing with teens. It's just that they are from around here and don't have the added factor of "this place is SO out in the sticks! I want to be somewhere else!!!" as well as the fact I wasn't sure I was ready for this. I didn't apply to be a host parent, I was called by AFS International and asked "Please!" I know we'll make it, but really needed your comments and support. Having been an AFSer I now have so much more sympathy for my Turkish mother, who couldn't talk to me, but cried when I left and who I learned some neat stuff from.

However, guest, Bob, these kids' motives are as individual as the kids themselves, and are many times to get to this golden land that turns out to be not much like the movies. The kid I had as a temp last year DIDN'T want to be in the country, thought only cities were good and had really come on the urging of his uncle in the US who figured it would "make a man out of a baby" (that quote to us from said uncle) and was quite miserable and COLD for a long time. He did manage, but his sister hated him and the girls in the HS he ended up at got a bit tired of him hitting on them. I could wish sometimes that someone would tell these kids that most of us who have room don't live in the most exciting places.

Thanks especially Sorcha, and you might find that the exchange people are vrey flexible about living arrangements these days, perhaps a bit TOO flexible. (I wish you lived closer, lady!)