Friday, November 2, 2012
Perfect Moment Monday (a few days late)
I was working at a foster care and adoption agency in Palmdale, California. Our administrator had recently organized and hosted a large Thanksgiving party. For kids in foster care, holidays can be difficult. Family members might be far away, or unable to visit. Foster parents (and social workers) are resistant to supervising visits on actual holidays. When monitored visits do happen, they're often uncomfortable, taking place in sterile rooms with supervision by a social worker that really feels awkward. But we got right that day. We asked all families to schedule their visits on this day, and staggered the visits so that there weren't more than 20 or so people in the facility at a time. One room was set up for crafts, another was set up for visits, another was set up for a screening of a Peanuts Thanksgiving cartoon, and still another was set up as a beautifully-appointed dining room. Families rotated through the stations, and although visits were supervised, the monitors were aware of the festive nature of the day and acted in kind. Families that were missing each other shared time talking, watching Snoopy and making crafts. Then the families came together in the center room for a big Thanksgiving meal; our boss had found a store that was able to donate enough turkeys and other Thanksgiving foods to make a really special day for everyone.
You would think that that day was my perfect moment, but it's really something else. A few days later, I was talking with one of the young children who had been at our Thanksgiving party. He asked whether we might do something similar for Mother's Day. The perfect moment was that when I passed on his suggestion to the boss, she said she was in favor of it.
I don't work in Palmdale anymore, but I still remember how great it was to see families that are often forgotten be honored, and to see that the voice of a young foster child was heard by an agency. I hope that the parties keep going on in Palmdale.
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What a wonderful entree into Perfect Moment Mondays! Not only that these families got a well-planned Thanksgiving visit, but also that more such visits were requested and granted. Score!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to have you. See you next month (or sooner)!
Thanks! This is a really good idea that you had. There are probably perfect moments most days :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful blog you have and such a lovely post. I can imagine that monitoring on a holiday would be stressful both for the families involved and for the social workers who are taking time away from their own families to work. Sounds like it was a really beautiful day and so special that a child's voice was heard and their request has spurred similar days. A perfect moment indeed!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words! It was a beautiful day. We actually did do it a day or so before Thanksgiving, and I kind of wish it could have actually been on Thursday, but everyone was really appreciative, and extra staff drove in from other offices around 60 miles away. It really was a beautiful day!
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