Unable to stop myself!

In the past few weeks I have had 2 situations presented to me within some families of teen agers. In both situations the teen wanted my help to get them out of a bad situation at home. I guess they think that because I am a licensed foster parent that I have some "clout" with the powers that be. I wish I did. But alas, even really crappy/borderline abusive parents have more rights and more laws on their sides then the children they discipline/abuse. It is really sad, actually.

I have tried to help these 2 teens in the best way I could. Get CPS or Police involved, offer them a place to stay until a suitable home is found, etc. Unfortunately on both occasions the allegations were hard to prove and ultimately the children have remained or have been returned to their parents. Basically until the parents hurt them enough that Police feel there is eminent threat to their lives, they just have to stay and wait for the next beating.

In these 2 situations I have tried to grasp what I was supposed to learn from my involvement in the cases. Up until today, all I had gleaned was a healthy disdain for "the system" and these "parents" and the lack of laws to protect kids in crappy homes. But then a quote came across my email inbox:

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This quote helped me realize that the reason these kids come to me is because they know I will put my neck out for them. They know I love children and want to foster resilience and help them succeed. They know I will NOT be silent about things that matter. I will stand up and speak for those that are unable to due to fear, abuse and neglect. They know from the first time they met me that I will connect with them and give them respect and support that they may not be getting from anywhere else.

And maybe the reason I connect with these kids is because I remember my own teen years. With all of my brother's antics and my Mom trying to go to school full time, work full time and keep track of us, well I looked for mentors outside my family. I was fortunate enough to find some great women to look to and to model my behavior after in addition to the groundwork my Mom already laid down, to become a successful member of society and someone I can be proud of. It truly does take a village to raise a child.

So even though in helping a teen last night I kinda got burned, I still feel a calling to help those children who can't speak for themselves. I can not be silent about things that matter because our children matter the most!

And I also want to thank my Mom, Grandma Jean, Aunt Terrie, Aunt Jeana, Aunt Kathy, Clare, Margi, Nola, Sara, Stephanie, Sarah, Megan, Jana and Vanessa for all the love and support you gave me and the helping me along. Even though some of us girls were walking the same line on the same journey we held each other up.

I will continue to mentor kids, speak the truth, and try to help, (albeit a bit more cautiously after last night), if nothing else but to pay forward all the help I received growing up!