Teaching children to understand their value

Written by: Matt Priest, Supervisor of Foster Family Services at Boys Town and Board Member for Kaya Children International

 

“Are you a police officer?” said the young boy.

"No,” I responded.  “Why did you think such a thing?”

 

Visiting a local children’s shelter, I was there to identify services for a young child who had been a victim of abuse and neglect. He had responded that he thought I was a police officer by the appearance of my shoes. My shiny black shoes reminded him of the shoes he had seen many times on the feet of police officers. This saddened me to think of the amount of times police officers had intervened in his life. Presumably so many times, that he recognized the shoes on their feet. It also saddened me to think that he identified people not by personality or relationships but by physical clothing.

 

Kaya's children do  not have many belongings. Their worn and tattered clothing demonstrate the difficulty and instability of street life. Kaya strives to help these children understand their value and worth. They are strong and resilient, no matter the appearance fo the shoes or clothes they may wear.

 

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. -Matthew 10:31