Autumn in Philadelphia Trilogy

Saudade: Ties That Bind

TW: Mention of a miscarriage, lost child talked about, brief mention of throwing up.

Chapter title is from a Springsteen song by the same name and a nod to my sis'.

Audrey is mentioned wearing a necklace Jon gave her at Christmas. This story can be found in Flashbacks.

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For those interested in legal guardianship and if Jon could become Shawn's legal guardian the way the show presented it, I've spent hours researching this topic and the answer is yes.

Findlaw.com explains how it can be done without the involvement of DCFS or foster care.

As for Chet leaving Shawn at the motel near Jon's, laws regarding what age a child could be left alone for an extended time in the 90s varied from state to state (Illinois was the strictest in this regard and there was much debate in the courts across the country over the issue throughout the decade). While the courts figured it out, it wasn't unheard of for fourteen-year-olds to babysit overnight, and a large number of kids who were home alone as latchkey kids was on the rise (NYTimes, October 4,1994).

So Chet could have gotten away with leaving Shawn at the motel for a short time. Because he later left Shawn with the Matthews and then with Jon, this would not be considered abandonment since he left his son with responsible adults whom he (presumably) trusted for a reason (going after Virna and the house). Naming Jon as guardian would further prove he had his son's best interest in mind since he was going to be gone for an extended time.

(The show throws Chet's motives into question multiple times, but in this case, neglect would be difficult to prove. As to why neither the Matthews nor Jon nor Feeny reported Chet for what they saw, based on what I've read, reporting would not be the first course of action here, mostly because of Shawn's age. Teachers became mandated reporters in 1974 but standards for reporting were different than they are today. From what the show presented in seasons 2 and 3 there was nothing that met the criteria to report).

Since Shawn was never in foster care according to canon, there would be fewer legal hoops for Jon to jump through to become his guardian. Jon would not have to be a licensed foster parent to become his guardian for example.

Obviously the show and I take some liberties with the details, but the premise is founded in real-life law.

One liberty I take is regarding the paperwork signing.

In real life, for the guardianship proceedings to begin, Jon would have to sign and submit the paperwork himself. For the purposes of this story, the paperwork being referred to is not the initial paperwork but the final documents. This is explained and delved into further when we get into the flashbacks for the episode, "I Never Sang for My Legal Guardian".

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Topanga sat at the desk in Cory's former bedroom watching old Harlem Shake videos with Riley when a heavyweight hit her in the middle of the back and let out a loud groan.

"What on earth...?" She squirmed trying to manipulate herself so she could see the small person on her back. "Auggie, is that you?"

She and Cory had each taken one of the kids to spend some time with them. She and Riley had been home from the mall for almost an hour, but Cory and Auggie weren't due home for another two so while it could have Jamie who collapsed on her, the groan was too Cory-like to be a Turner.

The weight rolled to her left shoulder and gave a whiny whimper. "I can't take it anymore!"

It was definitely Auggie.