One thing I'm really grateful to this job for is the clinical experience it has already given me. I got a disturbing series of text messages today from a friend of mine about his girlfriend, who was threatening to commit suicide and acting generally aggressive, verbally and physically. It didn't come to the point where I actually had to intervene at all, but I felt fairly calm throughout and just continued to ask questions. If this had happened a few months ago, I'm not sure how I would have handled it. I'm sure I would have asked some of the same questions, but it's unlikely that I would have been anywhere near as calm.
This job has actually taught me a lot about parenting as well. I listen to some of these kids talk about what they've been through, and I listen to the parents make excuses, and it's more obvious than ever what I shouldn't do when I have kids. It's not just the physical abuse, which is not something that would have ever happened with my kids, but just some of the verbal abuse I hear on a daily basis. Kids are resilient, but there's only so much they can take.
There's only so much any of us can take...
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