This afternoon I played Barbies with my supervisor and her client (age 6). We had a great time – Lil’ Miss had cut the locks of four of her Barbies, giving them each the cute layered shaggy look. Some cheer leading also went on.
My supervisor and I were discussing the phenomenon of institutions in the lives of low-income Americans. Affluent people never have to deal with foster care, child services, sometimes public schools, and very infrequently the jail system (but courts, all the time, sure) although their actions frequently hurt their children emotionally in similar ways. As I said good bye to this little girl’s grandmother, I thought how strange it felt to be in their home, presuming to know the child’s best interests. How do you gage what is normal and what is unacceptable when it gets close to the borderline? Especially when you know neighbors who don’t have custody issues or have been reported to child services probably live the same way? I think about the kids I taught and how neglect cases could probably be substantiated for most of them, but child services could just never accommodate that many kids. The child services official in Louisiana even asked teachers to reserve reporting for severe problems that couldn’t be solved by talking to the parent ourselves (for example, a teacher might be able to resolve the child’s lack of bathing or repeated absence from school by speaking to the parent.) It’s all very strange, representing children. I’m sure instincts are learned.
Working with services for children is the best way for me to be involved in social welfare. I have a hard time wanting to provide services to people who should probably be able to help themselves. But children, by definition, can’t. And so providing health, mental health, and educational services to children may lead to adults who can help themselves and will help themselves. Or at least that’s my hope. So that maybe the existence of those institutions can be limited, and the government won’t need to keep such a close eye on the less fortunate portion of society.
