Revolving Door

Over the past couple of weeks our numbers have increased to 41 boys. But, in the past 2 days there have been a variety of changes. A wonderful boy was placed in foster care where he will be great. Another was reunited with a foster placement. One boy was just here over night and then moved on to another home. And yet another, a boy who has been here for a while, was transferred because of shoplifting and truancy issues. This last transfer came as a complete surprise to me. He was gone before I even got to say good-bye.

All this turn-over has me thinking about the inconsistency in these boys lives. While a couple of the changes are good for the boys, they still require a transition. I wonder what it's like to always have new people in your life? What does it feel like to be taken out of place without any notice and moved to somewhere completely new? Do they feel they have any control over their lives? And I wonder how we can teach ownership and responsibility in the mist of all this?