I don't blog much about my job because I've seen other people try to do so, and often it leads to trouble. But in 24 hours time I wlll get to experience some highs and some lows. Unfortunately, my highs are over, and I'm leaving in 45 minutes for a "low."
Yesterday I got to visit two families that I really enjoy. They are getting homestudy updates and have finalized kids -- one of them a very tough one. And it is so fun to go back and see the kids doing better and to hear them scream my name and come running to me. We had good visits and it was fun to catch up -- one of the families I hadn't seen for over a year.
Today I have to talk to a family who is at their wits end with a child placed with them. I fear they are going to give up without finalizing. It is a very tricky spot to be in. Until a family makes a final commitment to a child, regardless of what might come there way, the child can sense their lack of commitment and their behavior worsens. The longer the family lives in indecision, the worse the behavior gets.
In my training and in my conversations with families, I always stress that the family must claim the child as their own on the day that child moves in. If either parent sees it as a testing period, the child senses that and it goes downhill from there.
So I am glad for the highs of my job. But I don't enjoy the lows.
I've been gone since yesterday -- got into my hotel room and took a nap, which was wonderful. Then did my two visits. Slept a long time last night (again, wonderful) and now am working in my room until I head for a lunch visit on my way home.
Things went fine at home. I am not dreading heading home, but I am sure that Salinda will have some wild plans for the weekend which won't be acceptable and I'll have to tell her no, something that usually requires a great deal of emotional stress.
So my time of escape is almost over.... and my time to face reality has begun.
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