I'm a Little Sad...

I am a Guardian Ad Litem to two really wonderful little girls, who are 7 and 11 years old, and are half sisters. A Guardian Ad Litem is a volunteer court appointed advocate for abused children in foster care. my job, basically, is to make sure they are okay.

Tonight I went over their house and spent 3 hours making Christmas ornaments, decorating their little Christmas tree, and going over what they need to do for Girl Scouts. It was a really fun visit, and I really enjoy spending time with them.

During the conversation it slipped out that they recently slept at their biological mother's house. The older girl decided to come home after one night. The younger girl stayed a second night. They are not supposed to sleep at their mother's house, and they are not supposed to have unsupervised visits with her. I am concerned about why the older girl wanted to come home early, but she shut down and didn't want to say anymore about what happened.

I went back and back and back in their case file tonight. What happened to them completely breaks my heart. I didn't know, but they've been in care since the little one was 1 year old and the older one was 4 years old. That's a long, long, long time for children to be in foster care. It's not a good sign.

I feel a very deep hatred for people who abuse their children. It's something I will never be able to understand. What I read in their case file literally made my heart ache.

I can't legally post pictures of the Guardian Ad Litem children, so I put a picture of my animals. I love them so much.

By the way, please consider becoming a Guardian Ad Litem. There are programs in every county in America. As a Guardian Ad Litem, you'll advocate for abused and neglected children in foster care. 10 to 15 hours a month of your time could change a child's life for ever. There is a certification process, but you don't have to have any special skills or education or anything. Just have a love for children!