Dear Reader,
Today our guest writer is Frances Lawson, one of the 2021 Honorable Mentions from my Write a DearReader Contest. Thank you so much Frances for sharing your story with us.
Mom's Rural Caseload Memories
My mother was a Social Worker in what she called the "Golden Era of Social Work" in the late 40s--early 60s. She worked in Children Services during part of her career and, while she had many cases--some memories great and some not--she did enjoy passing on a few that made her smile when reflecting on them.
She had a rural case load during her time with Children Services so she would drive to homes where foster children were placed with families and there are memories from two cases that she enjoys sharing.
The first case was a large family where three children had been placed and the family had children of their own. Because Mom would make house visits and this household was busy, she would use her car to speak with the three children placed individually. On one occasion, the mother met Mom on the front porch with a serious look on her face. "We have a situation." My mother asked, "What?"
"Well" the mother replied, "I have been approached by several of our children stating that they think it's only fair that if they have to share their parents with the three foster children, then the three foster children should have to share their caseworker."
"Oh!" Mom said, and the two of them made a deal. Each time she came, she would also see one or two of their children along with the three. She would tell how one of the family's own children would jump into the car and be so enthusiastic--just wanting to know what went on in the car sessions. Every time she remembered this family, she smiled.
The Second case involved a family that she would visit, and it seemed like every time she visited, it would rain. Didn't seem to matter what day of the week or what week of the month--it always seemed to rain. One day while in the office, Mom received a phone call from the mother of the family who stated that her daughter wanted to speak with Mom. When she got on the phone, the daughter asked if Mom could hold off a week for her next visit; this girl's field day was Mom's scheduled day to visit. With a loud chuckle, Mom agreed and went the next week instead. When she arrived at the house, she was met by the mother and both ladies started laughing because the day of the field day had absolutely beautiful weather and yep, you guessed it--this day, sure enough, it was raining.
-- Frances Lawson
Honorable Mention, 2021 Write a DearReader Contest
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
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