Went to a meeting at the Echo Glen Youth Facility tonight. EG is either a kiddie prison or a school depending on what context is being used to describe it.
The kids went around the room describing when they knew they had a problem and what happened after that. What I heard every single kid described sounded like being abandoned to me. There might have been adults in their lives, but there weren’t any functional parents. It was an incredibly powerful meeting hearing the kids being real about what it was like.
I shared a bit about my childhood, what happened and what it is like now. My mother was emotionally unavailable throughout my life. Sometimes she was at work, other times she was drunk, now she has dementia. I shared my experience of trying to go see my mother this week, getting half-way across the parking lot and going home.
I would rather go see kids in prison then my own mother. At least the kids are trying to be pleasant and are working on changing their lives. But the time I got done sharing my story with the kids, a few stray tears were running down my cheeks. It was a powerful meeting for all of us.
I am grateful for the people I got to meet, talk with and maybe help in my life today. They make my life better. Having Leslee along is always a bonus!
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