I am an a1c living in the dorms on an air force base. I am single and childfree (I don't want children). I come from a pretty bad/messed up/absuive family, and i joined the service to drag myself out of the cesspool of abuse and poverty. I'm pretty comfortable with a few k in savings, and I'm looking for any advice really on how to raise my nephew well.
I make 21500k a year, and currently I live and eat free in the dorms. The military will give me roughly 1600 a month in dependent BAH. So 19000 annually. (BAH is tax free) and 300 a month for food (Also tax free). This brings me to a rough salary of 44700 a year, with a significant portion untaxed, so lets say 50k.
The boy has been raised around strange men who hit him. His mother (my estranged sister), and her current boyfriend of choice, are pretty standard southern white druggie trash. They live on welfare. The boy has been neglected and abused, at the very least hit often, and possibly sexually abused. I don't know him very well, but he's intelligent and was a sweet child before the abuse made him act out. They have him dosed up on Klonipin. I'm not familiar with this drug, but he's on it because he was misbehaving and throwing fits. If possible, i'd like him weaned off the drug assuming i can get him the help he needs. I think I can raise him fairly well, I didn't really want to but I'd rather my nephew not be tossed between foster homes that won't be able to help him get him what he needs, so I am fully willing to take care of him. I can cook fine and I'm a naturally clean and tidy person, and my normal work schedule isn't too grueling, so I have enough free time to be able to.
I was also abused as a child and and I don't want him to have to grow up with nobody loving him like I did.
My sister (whom i don't speak to) Is putting the boy into a foster home, and my grandparents fighting for custody of him before that happens. They're nice people, but they're old and sick, so I offered to take him in after they have him for a few months or a year or so, in order to give me time to get prepared get everything set up.
What do I need? What hidden expenses might I overlook? Any medical will be covered as I'm a servicemember, and the money should be enough to comfortable take care of a child..
I'm really sorry if this is rambling or if this is the wrong place to post this, but i'm happy for any advice anyone can give me.
Submitted April 14, 2017 at 11:39PM by advicethrowaway148 http://ift.tt/2oJin0d
