Volunteer Voice
I am a mother, stepmother, grandmother and former teacher. I thought I knew all there was to know about patience, but being a CASA for the past year has taught me some new lessons about this virtue. Children are not supposed to be patient – they are supposed to yearn for instant gratification. But my two CASA boys (one 9 and one 12) have had to cultivate an adult’s level of understanding that not all needs and wants can be satisfied quickly. And, I have had to learn to accept that sometimes I just have to” go with the flow.
Read MoreI have been a CASA for over five years, and I am on my second case. You would think that would make me almost an expert, but the truth is that I am always muddling through the process. And no two cases are exactly the same. In fact, any case can take a dramatic turn from one day to the next. My current minor is no longer really a minor. Justin turned 18 recently, and that rite of passage brought a whole new dimension to the case. I had thought we were sailing in fairly smooth waters. Justin had been in
Read More9 months into the case and I'm bored. I'm a CASA to a 16-year-old young woman who is currently placed at home with her mother. This is easy, I think. Nothing is happening. The issues at home seem to be under control. I even get along well with her mother. I worry that I'm not making any difference. I was just coasting until dismissal. Then it's January. My child starts canceling meetings or simply not showing. Frustrating! I begin losing interest in the case. I thought maybe she too was bored with the process and with me. There's no real threat
Read MoreMy sixteen year old young man announced that he thought his girlfriend was pregnant. I froze. "What do you mean 'think'?" I asked. "Well, she thinks she might be. But we won't know for sure for three months." "Three months? If she is pregnant you can find out right now with a test from the grocery, " I sputtered. "But those tests are expensive. I think she is going to tell her mom." "She has to tell her mom. You have to get her to tell her mom." Then I was lost. I didn't see sex education for a high school student as an appropriate responsibility
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