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First day

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I pull up to my first day bright eyes and bushy tailed. Orientation is not at the office I'll be working out of normally, it's at the emergency shelter where HR is located.
The building houses more than 40 children on an emergency basis and as I pull up the kids are coming out of the building, heading for school.
I smile as I see them come out. A couple are running, excited to be free from the confining walls of the shelter. Their caretakers are ushering other kids out the door and calling for them to slow down or stop so they can remain safe.
Suddenly--out of nowhere, a fight breaks out. Before you know it one kid is on the floor, her hair gripped tightly in the fist of the other while she is kicking and screaming, trying to get free. The staff rush over, yelling at both children to stop. As they are separated vial swear words fly from their mouths--mouths that shouldn't be old enough to know such words.

So yeah, I got to the right building.

The work I do is interesting. I spend the day telling stories of children in need of love, guidance and help. Innocent children who have come into this situation through no fault of their own. But the reality is different. These kids have it tough and they respond by fighting back.

That's not to say they don't deserve love. They do. It's not to say they are not innocent. They are.  But it's no cake walk. They aren't begging for the help--they are fighting for it.

I think a lot of people, seeing children break out into a fight and sling swear words would label those kids as the trouble kids. They probably are. But trouble doesn't come from no where. Trouble can start early and if they aren't shown another way trouble is all they'll know.

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