Precious Little Souls

For those of you who don't know what I do for a living (ie don't know me personally) I'm a caseworker for children in foster care. I used to work in the residential aspect, now I work with foster homes. People who hear about what I do tend to go one of two ways on the spectrum: 1) either they think I play with kids for a living and get paid (sometimes true) or 2) they say they have no idea how I do it without being angry (not true--there are days I come home angry). They don't understand how much they're missing--how much makes this job worth it for me. There's the obvious: getting a child being abused or neglected into a home where they're safe, loved, and valued. But there's also other rewards, like teaching a young mother that instead of screaming or shaking her child she could utilize time outs and take a time out herself if it becomes too much. Or that moment when a single parents realizes their mistakes and knows they can do it. Its looking into they eyes of a child who knows much more about the cruelty of the world, and having them smile at you despite it all. It's not about the money I make, it's about the value of the little victories.

Having said that, you can see my frustration when I read THIS.

If you ever had to wonder why I'm continuing to do this job... there yo

u are. Makes me ill and probably will keep me up at night wondering how these poor children will ever be able to trust an adult again.