An appreciation for the effect of the unexpected

"Of course, we're all aware of setbacks and crises that emerge and throw off our plans, but when your margin for error is so thin (or non-existent), those setbacks have a much greater impact.  The poverty simulation did a great job of demonstrating that.

I was immediately aware of how difficult it can be to figure out where to go, who to talk to, and what is out there.  For example, I tried to drop off my "baby" at daycare, but since I didn't yet have cash, I couldn't do it.  I tried social services, and they couldn't help, but they said that vouchers for child care were available at community action.  I went there, and got the voucher, but had no idea that they had other things I could use.  Then I was out of transportation passes and couldn't use the voucher I picked up.  Part of my confusion was that my family actually had a decently sized budget that should have met our needs.  I didn't really *need* a voucher, or free passes, or any of that...I just didn't have the cash for that week.I needed a loan, or an IOU, or a credit card.  Of course, that's the way *I* think...that I need to deal with this and pay for it, and it didn't even occur to me that there were things that I wasn't expected to pay for.

Another reaction I had was to the way I (and the father) pretty much ignored the nine year old brother in the house.  There wasn't enough time to barely acknowledge him.  He felt it too, which was interesting to me (during our debrief).

Finally, I was also struck by a feeling of intrusion.  I got arrested twice (luck of the draw, I guess), and I saw a couple of kids hauled in for playing outside without an adult.  I remember thinking that there was this level of involvement of agencies in my life (and the lives of those around me) that if they could just let me do what I needed to do, I'd get it done.

A long while ago, I represented young girls in the juvenile justice system, and a common complaint from my teenage mom clients who were faced with care-and-protection actions was that they didn't have time to meet all the requirements of their social workers.  I had one client enrolled in Anger Management, counseling, parenting classes, GED classes, and job training, plus she worked at two jobs to afford the 2 bedroom apartment she was required to have if she wanted to get her baby back.  She also had scheduled visits with the baby, and joint counseling sessions with her father and stepmother.  She kept getting fired from her minimum wage jobs because of her need to work in short bursts (three hours, then back for two, etc.) in order to accommodate all of her scheduled activities...and rescheduling these appointments was a headache and got her in trouble with her social worker.  What I experienced yesterday was only a small glimpse of that, and I couldn't get anything done in a fake scenario.  I can only imagine how she felt."