Today after work I went to pick up the boys.  As I do most days, unless schedule dictates otherwise, I pick up Middle Boy first.  With his program you can call ahead and the kids can meet you outside so that's what I did.  It was hot outside.

When I got there Middle Boy had a friend with him...a Sudanese girl who remembered me from camp.  I had been looking for her and her siblings to get them registered, but they had moved homes and I hadn't been able to locate them.  I had the applications with me so I just handed them to her and told her she could get them back to me on Monday.  We chatted briefly.  She told me she had been in EIGHT foster homes since camp last year.  How does that happen?

We left the teen program to go pick up Younger Boy.  On the way there Middle Boy said "I wish you could have seen my work in our art show.".  What art show?  I didn't know about an art show.  Apparently they have been doing projects all month at the teen center and today they were on display.  What he said next made me sad.  He said two things...one that he didn't think I would care about seeing his art and the second that he thought we would be in too much of a hurry for me to come in and see it.   What message am I sending to the boys?  Does he think I wouldn't care about seeing it, because of his own negative beliefs or because that is the message I send?  He is right that we are usually in a hurry, but not in such a hurry that we can't take 20 minutes to go to an art show where his work is displayed.

Prayers for being able to slow down.