There's No Place Like Home

Today I found that 4 siblings that happen to be some of my favorites are leaving the Aldea. Also, when I came back from the holiday vacation I found out that a few of the kids I was working with that were have a LOT of difficulties also went back to their families.

That's the hard thing about working for this unique organization. The idea of the Aldea is not to keep kids until they are adopted. The idea is for them to have a loving environment to grow up in while social workers work with the families to rehabilitate them to once again be a loving and nurturing environment for the kids to go back to.

So actually, when the kids go back home it's really a good thing, a great thing, it shows that their time at the Aldea worked. It illustrates that the kids were ready to go back and the families were ready to receive them.

Oh but it is so hard to see them go. It's usually a hush, hush thing so I usually hear about it the day before or sometimes the day after! However, now that I am a facilitator of the teens, I know more about their whole process and the next group ready to go back home happen to be teens so I know now what is going to happen in February.

I want to be sad, but I know that is selfish. Time and time again when the social workers go visit the kids to make sure they are adjusting to their homes and families, they are always happy to be reunited with their families. The Aldea is a WONDERFUL place and they offer great services, but some kids reach a point that Dorothy knew all to well, "There's no place like home"...