Class 8 was this past Tuesday, (wow class 8 one more "real one" and then..certificates and covered dish dinner for class 10!! and they are over...I can't believe it's been since Feburary...it's FLOWN by!!!). Due to lots-o-work this week, i haven't really had time to sit and write it all out.
Class 8 was on sexual abuse, we had a guest speaker, and she reminded me why I chose not to major in elementary education like i once had wanted to.
ya know those people who talk to you like you're 4 years old, even when you aren't? But they have talked to kids so much their whole life and during the day they keep doing it into the evening and night and weekend?....like the lady from the ferry a couple of weeks ago talked to me because I was clueless about US Gov't? ; )
people who overly annunciate and are overly excited in each sentence...excited about each word? and ends every statement with a question mark as if to say was that simple enough...did you get that? and praise the simplest of anything....(like you do your kids, but in a room full of adults) that was her. that was also my 1st and last elementary education class in college...because of a college professor that talked to us like that a whole semester.... i didn't think i could possibly EVER talk like that. and yes i know not ALL of them do, but most i have met do.
I don't mean any of that bad...I really don't she was SUPER DUPER NICE!!! it was just....
the odd combination of the way she spoke and the topic of sexual abuse was a little awkward...
the class started with a video...a horrible video. a really horrible video. it made me sick feeling. it made others in the class very angry...mostly the males.
children shouldn't be hurt.
ever.
but they are, and many foster children are.
we heard some staggering statistics...the first one being that 1 in every 4 girls are sexually abused or molested and 1 of every 6 boys. this is just out of the general population statistics...
so chances are in doing foster care work, where children are already coming from either abusive, or neglectful situations on top of the general population stats above....it's likely that the child walking though our door could have been sexually abused before arriving at our home.
The other staggering stat was that it's almost always 99% of the time a family member or someone very close to the family that does it....and MOST of the time, you will be the first person the child may disclose this information to...because once the first child feels safe and comfortable (sometimes for the first time in their little lives)...they may start to disclose things to you. Then there are mandatory steps you must take to report it.
The class was informative and helpful in sharing information on how to best try and help children who may be dealing with such things and children that may be realizing for the first time that these things aren't "normal" and that they have been a victim of abuse.
The class talks about the child's foundation and compares it to a concrete foundation for a carport. There are cracks that sometimes form when the concrete is setting up. These children will have cracks in their foundation, so out job is to try and fill in the cracks (bad stuff or things they are lacking) with healing (good stuff, confidence and love).
Upcoming Fostering stuffs: :)
Joey had his interview with our Licensing worker this past Wednesday. He felt good about it and said he was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. He said that she asked him lots of questions about his childhood and growing up. AND that she was super nice. (we were kind of bummed we didn't get the lady who I first had email correspondences with and she is the instructor of our class and we have heard RAVE reviews from anyone who has ever had dealings with her, including my sis-in-law who works in another department of Social Services). So I was glad to hear Joey liked her and thought she was nice, because our first impressions of her were questionable...she just didn't seem as "approachable" as the lady we have grown to really really like in class.
I switched appointments with Joey, because he wanted to go after me and made his appointment later, but then he starts his new career at the Sheriff Dept May 2 and didn't want to ask off work after just starting a new job, so now my appointment is on the 3rd or 4th of May.
The worker has to interview Payton individually as well, to which Pate has already asked me if I can stay with her during it...Payton is more like her daddy in the going out and meeting people/talking to strangers thing. She gets nervous when put on the spot or even when questioned by her doctor or teacher even (she has this little nervous foot twitch every time her pediatrician is talking to her and it's so cute, but it breaks my heart for her slightly at the same time because I know exactly when i see it start doing it that she is nervous)...soooo...I am going to ask when I have my appointment if she can do Payton's interview here at the house when she comes to do the home inspection, in a different room, but still in Payton's own environment..I think that would make her a little more at ease about it.
Payton and I are both scheduled to get our physicals this coming Tuesday, Joey had to have one for his new job, so he just has to get the paperwork filled out.
This weekend we are going to be getting the house reading for the fire inspection for us to hopefully
call it in next week. We have to get a carbon monoxide detector since we have gas logs and a certain type of fire extinguisher (we have 2 just have to check and see if they are the right kind).
We also have to schedule the home visit/inspection for our case/licensing worker to come out. Which means I have a lot of child proofing to do since we have big ones. Securing cleaning supplies and child locks back on medicine cabinets.
Seems like there's one more thing, but it's escaping me now.
Hope you all have an absolutely beautiful Easter. :) m
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