I came over here because of the comment you had left on Rhubarb's site about pants sizes for your boys. If you are having trouble finding the correct sizes for your boys in jeans, etc., check out one of the online clothiers such as LL Bean or Lands End, etc. because they are more likely to actually have the sizes you need.

As for your son's friend... when our daughter was in high school, one of her friends was in an impossible situation at home getting along with her mother (mom had a drinking problem and some other instabilities) and we ended up with her living with us for most of her junior year. Her mom got herself under control and she was able to move back during her senior year. (We had taken to calling my daughter's room "The Girls' Dorm") Our younger son also had a couple friends seeking refuge here, but only for a night or two. I think this kind of thing goes on more than most people realize.

Quick story - my ex-boss (Jack) had 5 children, at least that's what I thought for quite a while. Two boys and three girls. Then one day the subject of his son, Rick, came up and I was informed that Rick wasn't his biological son but his real son's best friend from school. Rick had an abusive father and could not live with him any longer, so my ex-boss took him in for a spell...like you. Thing is, he never left. He morphed into John Jr's "brother" and finished school there, was sent to college (paid for by my ex-boss) and grew up and got a job and married and had kids... all the while being my boss Jack's "son" in almost every sense of the word. It did my heart good to learn that story about my ex-boss.

You're saints for taking the boy in. It's sad when families won't get along or look after each other. I've seen it myself. Life is so short and people can be so cruel to each other. The good part is the boy is young and can get over this and go on with his whole life ahead of him.