07/05/2024
May 7th 1st day of new placement
Oh man, that first day is a lot. We've had kids come in the middle of the night with just a diaper on. Usually kids come after sitting in an office while being asked lots of difficult questions. Sometimes they've been riding with a police officer. We've had them come after being removed at school with only thier backpack, since they didn't know they wouldn't be going home after school. Usually kiddos have a lot of questions for us and we have very few answers. They are hurting and we arent the ones who they long for to comfort them. We do our best to introduce them to our family and home and feed them something they are familiar with. We've also had kiddos come from a different placement that wasn't the best fit, those are usually the smoothest transitions for us, because the kids already have a lot of answers and are used to the system. Thier hurt is bigger and deeper, but not as fresh. We try to show them love and let them know we won't hold thier past against them. It's a new start in our home. Those first days are emotionally and physically exhausting. We are usually up with scared littles, or wondering if bigs will flee. We are doing extra laundry, making trips to the store for key items we need, sometimes treating lice, making lots of phone calls, rearranging schedules etc. It does get easier after we get to know eachother and settle into a routine. These kids are so worth the time and energy it takes to care for them in the in between.
