The Death Sentence Years ago in another life I was working as a police officer assigned to criminal investigations.  During my tour of duty, I was involved in investigating a Capital Murder case which would carry the death penalty as the punishment.  In the course of the investigation, I reported to the prosecutor’s office as […]

One day, in a therapy session with a mom and a rather precocious 8 year old, we were discussing the 6 jobs of children. The child, practically a genius, had the jobs memorized before the end of the session. Mom was duly impressed that this child could actually comply with this task and said, “That […]

by Nancy Thomas Why are our children looking for a super hero? Why is this such a HUGE issue for our kids? Do we have to wear spandex and a cape to qualify?  Children from Trauma are Looking for Protection Our challenging children are looking for a protector to keep them safe from whatever happened […]

by Nancy Thomas Fill your lamp so you can shine your light for others. Take care of yourself so you can care for others. Put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping a child with theirs. Burnout is Effectiveness Terminated How many different ways do we hear it and yet… It sure is not my […]

by Nancy Thomas There was a Huge Wall I first saw Anna across the circle from me. Her long blonde hair hung in a braid over her shoulder. She was wearing a beautiful handmade Mennonite style dress but what struck me the most were her eyes. They were cold, dark and vacant. The happy chatter […]

Okay, I admit it, I’m not perfect. Whew, it’s out! After training over 50,000 parents, teachers, and mental health professionals over the past twenty-five years, I have said a lot of things. Some of the things I have said have been taken out of context and misused to allude to the opposite of what my […]

by Nancy Thomas Children need to feel safe. Many of our children were hurt at night, often in their own bed! Some children laid in their rooms and listened to screaming and fighting as their family was torn apart by hate. Night time is hard for these children. When they have an alarm on their […]

by Nancy Thomas An emotionally fragile child needs the same quiet healing environment as a medically fragile child would–one that recently had invasive surgery. A child that has recently had an appendix removed would remain quietly in their bed, or on the couch, without playing baseball or going swimming. A child who has recently divulged […]

by Becky Malecki Originally published in Fostering Families Today. Used with the permission of the author, Becky Malecki. While keeping siblings together is important, at times that togetherness can hinder their growth as individuals I used to be righteous, exclaiming the need to keep displaced siblings together. As a child protection caseworker in the 1980’s […]