Rita and Linda are two precious little girls who started their life's living in a house with a mom who was an alcoholic and a drug addict. Their natural dad was deep into pornography and alcohol, he was also a thief. He abandoned his children and ran from the law into another state. That left the two little girls with mom and eventually me, the Stepfather. Here is a snapshot into their life. This is A Child's View of their Mother's Addiction.

"Daddy, where's mommy? She promised to make cookies with me and Linda," said Rita, Beth's five year old. "I don't know where she went," I answered softly. "When's she going to come home. She's never here anymore? She never keeps her promises. I bet she is out with her boyfriend again." I knew she was right; but I didn't want to make the situation worse, so I didn't respond to her comment. Rita continued, "Why doesn't mommy ever keep her promises? She always lies to Linda and me. I don't think mommy loves us." I responded to Rita this time, "Mommy loves you, she is just sick and needs some help." Rita blasted back, "She's not sick! She is just out doing her drugs again. She loves drugs more than she loves Linda and me!" Linda spoke up now and said, "Yes mommy does love us, Rita, she'll be home in a little while. Won't she daddy?"
I could only remark, "I hope she comes home soon."

A few hours later after the kids had been asleep for a little while, Linda called out, "Mommy, I need to pee pee." She wandered into my bedroom and asked, "Where's mommy?" then she whimpered, "I want my mommy." "Honey, she isn't home right now." "Will she be here in the morning?"
I could only answer, "I don't know baby. I hope she is home in the morning." We never knew how long Beth would be gone and when she was going to come back. Frequently, we thought out loud, "I bet mommy's not coming home," and frequently she did not come home for weeks.

The next morning the phone rang, it was Beth, "I'll be home late tonight," she said, "But, I'll only be there for a few minutes, I have to drive to Pittsburgh later tonight." Pittsburgh was one of her favorite spots to buy drugs. I told Beth," The girls have been asking about you and they want to see you." Beth firmly stated, "I don't have time to talk to them tonight. I'll just be home to pick up some clean clothes. Tell them I will see them tomorrow night."

"Girls, mommy just called, guess what, she said she will see you tomorrow night!" Rita remarked, "She won't come home tomorrow night. She never keeps her promises." Linda, the eternal optimist said, "Mommy will be here tomorrow night, Rita. We can play princess with her." Rita just murmured under her breath, "Mommy isn't coming home."

All the rest of that day and the next day the girls built their excitement about mommy coming home. Five PM passed and no Beth; six, seven, eight, nine o'clock passed and no Beth. I tried to call her and she would not answer her phone. I called several times and she never picked up the phone. I put the girls to bed and they cried themselves to sleep.

Beth finally called, drunken and stoned, about 1:30 in the morning. "Let me talk to the girls." "Beth, its 1:30 in the morning the girls are asleep. They cried themselves to sleep hours ago. You come home and be here for the girls in the morning." Beth replied, "I can't, Ike and I have to drive to Wilkes Barre tonight. Tony has our drugs ready. I'll be spending the night there." So I complained, "You care more about Tony and the drugs than you do about the girls." She only growled, "I have to get the drugs when I can. Tell the girls I'll see them tomorrow night." "You call in the morning and tell them yourself, I'm not going to lie for you anymore!" Beth hung up the phone and that was all we heard from her until about lunchtime the next day.

Beth called about 1:00 the next afternoon. "I'll be by tonight and I will spend the night with the girls." I could only muster a few words, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Rita watched cartoons and moped all day. I did not even tell the girls that their mother said she was coming to see them that evening. I figured it would be better if they were surprised if she did come rather than disappointed if Beth was lying again. Linda played dress up in her princess dress and acted oblivious to the fact that she hadn't seen her mother in several days. I asked her, "Don't you want your mommy to come home?" She said, "Mommy is being bad. She is doing drugs again. Daddy you won't ever leave me will you?" I could hardly keep the tears back. It was one thing for Beth to leave me for her boyfriend and drugs; but to leave her children was a violation of human nature." I promised Linda I would never leave her or her sister. Little did I know that Children and Youth Services was not going to let me see them again once they took Beth's kids into their custody.

To my surprise, Beth came by the house that evening. She was immediately quizzed by Linda, "Where have you been!!!! I missed you and I thought you were never coming home to see me anymore. Don't you love us anymore?" Beth answered, "I love you baby. I've been doing a lot of work lately and its hard for mommy to come home." Linda accepted that answer; but, Rita did not. She sheepishly looked at her mother and said, "You're going to let the bad people at CYS take us away like they took away my brothers and sisters. Mommy why do you do bad things? Why do you do drugs?"

About that time, Beth opened a bottle of Vodka. It was her alcohol of choice. One glass would calm her down, two glasses would throw her into a drunken rage. She had half the bottle. So much for her spending any quality time with the children. She sent the girls off to bed early that evening and then acted belligerently toward me. She complained about everything. Her voice grew louder and louder with every complaint. Soon she was screaming at the top of her lungs about things that made absolutely no sense. Fortunately, she went upstairs and vomited and then went right to bed, fully dressed and smelling terrible from not changing her clothes or showering for days. The smell of alcohol and vomit on her breath didn't help much either.

One of the girls wandered across the hall from her bedroom and asked her mother if she could sleep with us. Beth woke momentarily, long enough to tell Linda to get back to bed. Linda went back to her bedroom and cried. Rita had already cried herself to sleep again.

Before Rita cried herself to sleep I could hear her praying with all of her heart, "Dear Jesus, please help mommy and let her stop doing drugs and drinking. Don't let the bad people at CYS take me and Linda away. Make mommy all better so she can take care of us."

This is the way things went for the girls for a full year. They saw their mother come and go. They were constantly lied to and Beth was constantly not keeping her promises to them. When Beth was home the girls either saw her using drugs or drinking heavily and acting out toward everybody that she "loved". The girls were eventually placed in foster homes and then adopted. The girls lost their mother and their stepfather, me. They lost all ties with their natural grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, half brothers and half sisters. They will probably never be able to contact their natural relatives again. Certainly, the entire family goes through a great trial when a family member is on drugs. Unfortunately. It is the innocent babes that suffer the most. If you are using drugs, put yourself in your child's shoes for a day. See what you are putting them through. Maybe, just maybe, you will come to your senses.

Chapter One: Drug Addiction: Life with a Drug Addicted Wife
Life with a Drug Addicted Wife- chapter one

Chapter 2, There is Money Missing
Drug Addiction: Life with a Drug Addicted Wife, chapter 2, There is Money Missing

Chapter 3, There is More Money Missing
Drug Addiction: Life with a Drug Addicted Wife, chapter 3, There is More Money Missing

Chapter 4, Beth Leaves Her Children and Me
Drug Addiction: Life with a Drug Addicted Wife, Chapter 4, Beth Leaves Her Children and Me

Chapter 5, Beth Gets Deeper Into Drugs and Dealing
Drug Addiction: Life with a Drug Addicted Wife, Chapter 5, Beth Gets Deeper into Drugs and Dealing

Chapter 6, Beth has Her Kids Taken Away
Drug Addiction: Life with a Drug Addicted Wife, Chapter 6, Beth has Her Kids Taken Away

Chapter 7, Our Fight with CYS for our Children
Drug Addiction: Life with a Drug Addicted Wife, Chapter 7, Our Fight with CYS for Our Children

Chapter 8, Children and Youth Accuse Me of Molesting my Stepdaughters
Life with a Drug Addicted Wife, Chap 8, Children and Youth Accuse Me of Molesting My Stepdaughters

Chapter 9, Beth Leaves Me and Loses Her Children for Good

Drug Addiction: Life with a Drug Addicted Wife, Chap. 9, Beth Leaves Me and Loses Her Children for Good