Who does that?

My mom once told me that one of the hardest things about being a parent is seeing your child in pain. Last week, I think I caught the briefest glimpse of how true that really is.

Twice a year, for Semana Santa and Christmas, NPH Honduras allows the kids to go visit their families. Now, not all of the kids have families to go to, and some of the family situations are not considered safe, so about half the kids stay here on the Ranch during that time.

(Side Note: The kids who don’t get to go home are the ones that get to go play at the beach. Most would still rather be able to go home, but it at least provides a pretty amazing alternative)

The girls in my hogar who were going home were EXCITED!! I have never seen some of those kids as happy as they were on Wednesday night, knowing that aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even parents would be coming to get them the next day. This level of excitement could easily compete with the night before Christmas.

So, I was a bit stunned to walk into hogar on Thursday and see one of my girls who was suppose to go home still there. Her mom pulled a no show. Again.

She was a mess. This normally tough, and overly loud little seven year old (I shall call her F), wouldn’t speak to anyone. Her eyes were all puffy and red, and she spent the entire evening in the bathroom, by herself.

I have seen and heard some sad things in Honduras. However, this blew them ALL out of the water. Maybe it is silly to say that, but I was not prepared for this. I waited nearly a week to write about it, and yet I still can’t do it without crying.

Who does that? Who can treat any child like that, much less your own?

I know I am over simplifying. I don’t know F’s mother, or her background. I don’t know how her own parents treated her. But, for that moment right then, I really hated her mother.

The beautiful side of all of this is that kids are resilient, and the kids here are extra tough. When F came up to say good morning to me the next day she was already a million times happier, and she was so much fun to have with us at the beach.

Still, even with all of that, I would have done anything in the world to be able to make it so she didn’t have to go through that.

My mom was really very right on this one.