Friday, March 14, 2008

A Moment of Courage

Today was one of the more difficult days at Charis House. But it was a day of bravery. Monday night a new resident moved into CH. She is 18 years old with a gorgeous 6 month old son. After being at CH this week it became obvious she was too immature to be a mom. This morning the residents were all quite upset because Social Services would be coming in the afternoon to take the baby boy into foster care. It was heartbreaking to see this girl upset about losing her son. The staff and residents had all grown attached to the chunky blue-eyed boy with the big smile.

Holly, a 4 year old who lives at Charis House asked her mom at lunch "Did you know that **** isn't coming back. Someone's going to take him this afternoon. Will they bring him back after?... I'm going to miss him." I hate that these children live in an environment that robs them of the innocence that is essential to every childhood. I hate that from such tender ages they must learn that there is no stability in their lives; that things can change in a heartbeat.

After social services came around 3:30pm it was revealed that the mom had made the choice to put him in foster care because she knew that she didn't love him a way a mom should and therefore couldn't provide for him the way he needed. Although it brought me to tears to see this handsome baby taken away from his mom, I was touched that she made the best decision for her son. That showed maturity and courage beyond measure--especially for a teenager.

1 comment:

Judy Messal said...

I could feel the intensity as I read this. What a sad moment for you to have witnessed. Prayers for this vulnerable little child, now out in the world away from his mother. As little as he is, he knows something has changed. Let's hope for a happy ending to his story.