Working with children is one of the most rewarding activities ever. Working with homeless children has extra rewards because of the endless possibilities to make a difference in a little one’s life.
Children living in motels face some very gruesome situations every day. They see things the majority of us may never encounter even once in our entire lifetimes. Don’t let this be an excuse for you to pity the children you work with. They need your compassion always—your pity never. Don’t even try to give them your understanding because you can’t, unless you grew up in a motel yourself.
Pity causes you to treat a child differently. It cripples your ability to be someone who can make a lasting difference to the child if all you can see in front of you is “damaged goods”. You will find yourself wanting to “give them a break” and let inappropriate behavior such as bad language, name calling or greediness slide.