Yesterday was teacher planning day. In short, I get to come to work, catch up on some things and talk with my co-workers. Usually, we get little to nothing done, go to lunch and then go home.
Yesterday was a bit different. Oh, don't get me wrong, I still wasn't getting much done, but I had a surprise visit from a parent that I had been trying to contact for the last few weeks. I have been talking about my 'little blind demon' for some time now. There are a lot of other things that I think are strange or wrong about this child, but her mother usually seemed relatively attentive. I have been livid these past few months because it seemed no matter what I did, I could not reach this woman. Matter of fact, within the last few days I had become furious and had turned her papers over to the social worker for a home visit.
When she came to my door yesterday my intent was to read her like a book. But sometimes there is something in a person's face that let's you know there is more to the story. For the next hour and a half, she told me how she had just buried the father of her last 3 children. She has 7 and she is not yet 31. She has buried 3 'baby daddies' in the last 7 years. Two of them in the last year. All had been shot and killed in drug shootings or set ups. She is in search of a new home since the section 8 housing she was in has electrical problems and she could not have her children living somewhere that unsafe. Last month, she was in an accident and totaled her car.
I looked at her in sheer disbelief. She then told me that she had come to school to apologize for her behavior for the last few weeks. She has just been so out of it, she really did not know what to do or how to act.
And who could blame her?
Well the least I could do (since I had her here) was to listen to her story and finally try to get the papers signed that would be My Little Blind Demon some glasses. I walked over to the principals office and asked if she had the form.
"Oh, so Mrs. LBD has decided that she FINALLY wants to come to school, 'eh"
I was a little taken aback by this so I could only look at her with the now famous pie face. I call it that because it is that same "oh now you didn't look' that people get on TV shows when they have been hit in the face with a pie. Usually banana cream.
"Um...yeah. Do you have a form?"
" No and I am not meeting with her today she needs to make an appointment since she didn't want to talk to me when we called last week about her son. And you need to get me a valid phone number for her."
With that I knew that I would not get anywhere. I felt disappointed. It was now official that people really don't care about the children here. It is about there own personal feelings.
"Didn't you say you called her about her son. You have her number. Same one I have."
"Well, she will have to make an appointment. And we are calling family services because she is neglecting those children. "
Well ain't that about nothing?
In a way, by refusing to meet with her while she was here, we were neglecting those children also. Wonder if we can call CFS on us? Just as she was saying that fool-ass mess, I walked out of the door. We can't judge people just by our side of the story. Everyone has had hard time, but you never know how truly blessed you are even through your hard times until you have spoken...and listen to other people. It hurt my heart to come back and tell her I could not get the form for her. She sighed. Said she would come back the next day (so far she hasn't).
I can only imagine what she is going through. That young and alone with all those little people depending on her. The fact that she can make it through each day is a simple miracle. I thought about Mrs. LBD all day. I hope that things are OK. I am hoping that things will soon be OK for LBD. I will keep them both in my prayers and will use this experience to remember that I must hear the whole story before I make conclusions about people and their lives.
You can't always judge a book by it's cover.
Yesterday was a bit different. Oh, don't get me wrong, I still wasn't getting much done, but I had a surprise visit from a parent that I had been trying to contact for the last few weeks. I have been talking about my 'little blind demon' for some time now. There are a lot of other things that I think are strange or wrong about this child, but her mother usually seemed relatively attentive. I have been livid these past few months because it seemed no matter what I did, I could not reach this woman. Matter of fact, within the last few days I had become furious and had turned her papers over to the social worker for a home visit.
When she came to my door yesterday my intent was to read her like a book. But sometimes there is something in a person's face that let's you know there is more to the story. For the next hour and a half, she told me how she had just buried the father of her last 3 children. She has 7 and she is not yet 31. She has buried 3 'baby daddies' in the last 7 years. Two of them in the last year. All had been shot and killed in drug shootings or set ups. She is in search of a new home since the section 8 housing she was in has electrical problems and she could not have her children living somewhere that unsafe. Last month, she was in an accident and totaled her car.
I looked at her in sheer disbelief. She then told me that she had come to school to apologize for her behavior for the last few weeks. She has just been so out of it, she really did not know what to do or how to act.
And who could blame her?
Well the least I could do (since I had her here) was to listen to her story and finally try to get the papers signed that would be My Little Blind Demon some glasses. I walked over to the principals office and asked if she had the form.
"Oh, so Mrs. LBD has decided that she FINALLY wants to come to school, 'eh"
I was a little taken aback by this so I could only look at her with the now famous pie face. I call it that because it is that same "oh now you didn't look' that people get on TV shows when they have been hit in the face with a pie. Usually banana cream.
"Um...yeah. Do you have a form?"
" No and I am not meeting with her today she needs to make an appointment since she didn't want to talk to me when we called last week about her son. And you need to get me a valid phone number for her."
With that I knew that I would not get anywhere. I felt disappointed. It was now official that people really don't care about the children here. It is about there own personal feelings.
"Didn't you say you called her about her son. You have her number. Same one I have."
"Well, she will have to make an appointment. And we are calling family services because she is neglecting those children. "
Well ain't that about nothing?
In a way, by refusing to meet with her while she was here, we were neglecting those children also. Wonder if we can call CFS on us? Just as she was saying that fool-ass mess, I walked out of the door. We can't judge people just by our side of the story. Everyone has had hard time, but you never know how truly blessed you are even through your hard times until you have spoken...and listen to other people. It hurt my heart to come back and tell her I could not get the form for her. She sighed. Said she would come back the next day (so far she hasn't).
I can only imagine what she is going through. That young and alone with all those little people depending on her. The fact that she can make it through each day is a simple miracle. I thought about Mrs. LBD all day. I hope that things are OK. I am hoping that things will soon be OK for LBD. I will keep them both in my prayers and will use this experience to remember that I must hear the whole story before I make conclusions about people and their lives.
You can't always judge a book by it's cover.
1 comment:
This story saddens my heart...sometimes we have to be reminded about our purpose and have to but other things aside.
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