Allie - Part 2

Allie: Part 2

By Marshall Bauer | Unaccompanied Youth

Allie’s dad came back for Easter to visit and help Allie pack. He stayed from Friday until Tuesday. 

 “I’ve been trying to pack a lot, and then my dad came into town, and we’ve been hanging out,” Allie said. “We made dinner yesterday for Easter, and we were singing our lungs out to Fleetwood Mac.”

Her dad, Brian said, “This weekend is a long weekend, so we’ve gotten to hang out, watch a few movies between packing.”

Packing has been a stressful experience, but Allie said it has been going well. 

Photo by Joe Ahlquist

“We’ve got to go through a lot of stuff, but progress has been made, and we’re getting there,” Allie said. 

Brian said, “It’s amazing. We’ve lived in this house for 12 years, and we’ve accumulated a bunch of stuff in 12 years that’s really a pain to go through.”

They have a storage unit for the things that they don’t need now, but might want later. 

To make packing less of a chore, Allie turned it into a competition. 

“We were trying to see how many boxes we could pack,” she said. “I got about 6 or 7 and he got 3.”

Photo by Dave Dvorak

The basis for allowing Allie to live by herself came from her dad being in a military family and moving every few years. 

“My older brother, my family moved his senior year, so he graduated from a high school where he didn’t really know anyone,” Brian said. “He didn’t grow up with anyone he was going to school with, and I think he resented that.”

“I knew from that experience it was understandable if Allie wanted to stay and be with her friends, as long as we could figure out some of the logistics,” he said.

Photo by Joe Ahlquist

There have been problems along the way, such as the furnace going out in the winter. Allie used the oven to heat the house until someone could come fix it. Another instance involved Allie tripping the circuit breaker and having to reset it. 

Recently, Allie had an allergic reaction to one of her medications, and had to go to urgent care. 

“I went to my sister’s house, and I was just like ‘help me’, and she made me tea and comforted me,” she said. “That was really nice of her. We just hung out.”

Brian’s philosophy in raising children involved giving them more responsibility as they grow up.

“I think it’s pretty difficult for parents to let go of their kids and to give them freedom, but it’s your job as a parent to raise someone that will be independent and responsible,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s better than the ideal situation, but we made the most of it I think, and I do think she learns from those kinds of situations.”

Photo by Joe Ahlquist