Hockeymom,
I know you'll find a great buyer for Smiley. He is beautiful.
As for your son, he will come around.
I grew up in "the system"; I met plenty of people full of angst before I was able to become emancipated. I was one of them for a long while. To be honest I still am, I was just one of the lucky ones to find a positive placement for angst to turn into function. I’m thankful on a daily basis that I was able to find the strength I found, then and now.
You both will meet in the middle, I am sure sometime during both of your adventures..
And it will make it all worth while.
Keep your head up
Rusty