Tears

Mary called last night and mentioned that her tagging application has been filed.

"Tagging?" I asked

Apparently, she has applied to have one of those electronic tags fitted that allow the penal system to get their least dangerous inmates out of valuable prison cells and back into society without losing track of them completely. The process can take anything from a week to six weeks, but prison officials have said that she is sure to get approval. A cynic would ask why wouldn't they say that. She says she's not getting her hopes up, but that's a lie. She will be devastated if they don't grant it, and so will G.

Speaking of G, he's gone to visit her today, but this morning we had a frantic search to find his birth certificate, which is the only form of ID he has. At one point, he was in floods of tears when he feared that he would not be allowed to see his mother.

After almost an hour of fruitless hunting, G phoned N who confirmed that he has it.

Phew!

I think I have been greatly underestimating the effect that his mother's incarceration has had on him. L advised me last night to be more sympathetic to him, and get him to talk more about what he's feeling. I'll try.