Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

Words from a 5 year old child who has seen and endured way too much....

Our 5 year old woke us this morning very talkative.  He started out saying he misses his mom and daddy. He then said he wishes all his friends and people he loved from his county, lived in this county. The 5 year old continued on by saying he wishes the staff could stay here forever and never get off their shift.  He does not like having to change shifts every 7 days, he says that's not how life is supposed to be.  The child said he doesn't understand why he had to come here to the group home; he said maybe it’s because of him or his sister.  Staff informed him that it had nothing to do with him or his sister and that it is due to grown-up issues.  The child is very defensive over family and he stated that maybe it's not anyone's fault.

The child described to staff a fight he and his sister witnessed between his mother and father.  He said the fight started by the dad throwing the mom's glass in the tub and it breaking, and then the mom threw the dad's clothes out.  He was upset because it was a day he had soccer practice and due to the fight he was not able to make it to his soccer practice.  He said the cops came, and they were very nice to him.

He also informed staff that his daddy used to smack him in the face hard. He hit him in the stomach making his heart beat fast to make him listen.  The child doesn't see anything wrong with his dad hitting him; staff informed him that no one should ever hit him in the face and it is not right to be punched either.