Believe It Or Not

Kids can do and say things that are pretty outrageous, take it from me. I've practically heard and seen everything that has crossed my path. It's the totally unbelieveable that can make myself and my fellow co-workers put our hands over our faces in disbelief, all-the-while laughing on the inside. Yet, it's those same kids that are part of untold stories that can make any person cry and tug at one's heart strings. Inevitably, a person doesn't really understand why we do the job that we do until he or she experiences it for themselves. It's a certain unknown connection one has with kids that somewhat determines if that child considers you a trusted friend or a bitter enemy.

In some aspects, the kids are like a pack of wolves waiting for fresh meat to walk through those hallowed halls of the asylum. These mini-Hannibal Lectres will immediately walk up to a newbie and size him or her up and mentally try to figure out what damage he or she can to this person. In a way, it's like walking through a gauntlet set up by the kids, and if one gets thru the day without having a nervous breakdown then one has survived his or her first day. A day, in which one will be mentally fatigued on trying to figure which name belongs with which face and which child will take one's patience to the limit and beyond.

As time goes by, one will have to figure out for themselves what kind of counselor he or she will be. I've learned over the past 8 years, one has to have some middle ground when dealing with kids. A person has to a combination of meanness ad coolness, plus an added mix of totally insanity sprinkled in. By combining these three qualities, I'm considered on the top four favorite counselors, which can change on a daily basis. One has to understand that a child can love you and think you cool one day, but then turn right around and simply loathe you and think you need to seek professional help the next day. Kids will be opinionated and will share their thoughts even if one doesn't ask for it.

Ultimately, those who are in the child care profession will become attatched to these kids. In my 8 years working at the Asylum, I have seen every kid grow up in front of my eyes and I feel like a proud parent. It's a tough situation indeed when kids leave the roost, so to speak and venture off to places that are truly unknown to him or her. Yet, what makes it doubly tough is when a child, we as counselors help raise suddenly passes away. In a way, it's like losing a little bit of yourself and nothing can prepare a person to hear that bit of news. Thinking about it, our paths will cross again one day and as I once said, it's not a matter of saying goodbye, that's just not my style; it's a matter of saying see you later.

Jean De La Bryuere once said, ~Children are contemptuous, haughty, irritable, envious, sneaky, selfish, lazy, flighty, timid, liars and hypocrites, quick to laugh and cry, extreme in expressing joy and sorrow, especially about trivial things, they'll do anything to avoid pain but they enjoy inflicting it.~ A person may ask why do it in the first place and have attatchments to these kids that you know don't listen, talk back to you, and on any given day tell you that he or she doesn't like you. In all honestly, I do it because I love "my kids", though they drive me totally insane. Believe it or not, if I had the chance to do again knowing what I'd be getting myself into, I would absolutely do it in a heartbeat.