Kids - Our Future

Hi Folks out there!

Since months I'm thinking of starting a blog again, but never really had the time to do so. But now, I wanna share my thoughts and adventures about life and all it's wonderful and not so wonderful sides. I hope you enjoy reading it and I would be happy if you leave a comment or send an email with you opinion.

I don't want to say too much about me, just not yet. Over the upcoming posts you will get to know me a little bit more and more.

My life had many, many ups and downs and that all leads me to who I am today.

I want to dedicate my first post to a huge part of my life: KIDS

No, I'm not a Mom.. yet. BUT I'm working with kids of all ages since years now. It all began with simple Babysitting of course, which always lead me to the idea of become an Au Pair (more to that in a later post). And working in a Kids Holiday Camp and all the other jobs gave me the idea to make one of my passion to my profession.
I hope to get accepted for a Social Work School, get my degree and be able to help kids, to have some happiness in their lives.

Most people think kids are just work and annoying. True, children or teens can be more than exhausting, BUT never ever forget how much fun they can be. And they ARE our future, one day they will be responsible for the standard of technology, knowledge of newest inventions, they will go in politics and decide about peace or war, they will be in charge for everything concerning the planet we live on. My thoughts are always going towards the consideration if they have a great childhood, if we help them to find the right path, they will make good decisions. Not just for us, more important for themselves.
That's why I wanna help to give Kids, who come from a bad background a better childhood, or at least some fun moments to remember. To remember them, that not everything in this world is bad.

In my childhood I experienced a lot of negative and not child friendly things. I don't want to bore you with that, but I think it's a bit important to make clear, I know what I am talking about.
My biological mother (yes, she is still around) had issues with mentally illness. This issues were bad, so bad that I pushed away a lot of events that hit me unexpected in grown up age. To say it short, there was a lot of fighting (verbal and physical) and I didn't had a lot to be happy about. Not just because I was often locked in my room, I was told my dad didn't want to see me, which was not true at all and I had to manage a household by my self with just 12 years of age. However, I found strength in my friends and my brother and got out of there. It took long time and hard work to start over and trust people. Now, I look back and think it would have been better to get help, help from people they know what they are doing.

It is not a bad thing to ask for help, it doesn't matter how old you are. And just because you are a kid and ask for help, doesn't mean you have to leave your family. 
There are so many programs that  can help you at home or you can go too. 

In Austria there is a program, where families can ask for help and a social worker is coming 3-5 days a week just to help. Help with the housework, play with the kids or help them with homework. 

Very bad situated kids can go to an institution called "SOS Kinderdorf". Children all ages live there. It's an area with a lot of houses where foster families live. So they take care of the kids and live all together in kind of a small village. Or you can step in for these foster families (if they need to go somewhere or can't take care at this time) and just be there for a few days or hours. 

There are so many programs in that world, which everybody should support in any possible way. 

My heart is on these programs and on these kids because I experienced some sad stories last summer when I was working in a holiday camp for kids. It wasn't my first time, but it opened my eyes. 
There were kids from all around the world and mostly they were happy kids. BUT some just touched my heart. 
One boy, he was a big piece of work. He didn't listen, he was mean to others and so on, but when I found out how his life at home looks like, I couldn't get mad at him anymore. He was supposed to stay just a week (the program always goes from Sunday to Saturday), but every friday night his dad called and said the boy should stay one more week. Even the father was just a 30 minutes drive away on vacation (!). In the end the boy stayed five weeks with us. He got pushed away from his dad and I found out, that he is going from one holiday camp to the next during all school holidays and never gets to stay with his dad. How can you be mad at this kids behavior when you find that out? And I tell you what, after I knew what's going on, I handled him a bit different, I hugged him and told him what a cool kid he is, if he is nice and in the end, he had a friend and sometimes he even smiled and had fun. 
Then there was a teenage girl. She had to take meds for her mental condition (with just 13 years!!!), however one night her mom called and told her she had an abortion. She realized that she will not have the little sibling she was looking forward too already. And I had to deal with a historical crying teenager a whole night. She couldn't understand why and how, her world just collapsed. That night I found out that she was also an "accident" and her mom was a teenager when she was born. Can you imagine that that lovely girl was never really loved? And she knew that, that's why she sticked to everybody who gave her a smile and a hug. 
There were so many more stories, but in the end I tried to give the kids a good time while they were there. And it is a fun camp, don't get me wrong and most kids just love to go there!!! But sadly for some parents it is a way to not deal with there kids for weeks. 
However, we tried to make them laugh and there was one little boy, he was just funny as hell. He mad a perfect Michael Jackson impression with his 12 years and everybody loved it. He was always smiling and tried to make fun so the others were laughing. He was my little sunshine that summer.

Anyway, that are little stories why I think it is important to help kids and make there live a little better and bring them joy. 
I hope if I'll be able to get my degree in Social Work, I'm planing to go to India next summer to step in as an english teacher or help out in an orphanage. But that's something for my next post, because that's another big chapter to explore. 

I hope you liked my post and feel free give me your opinion. 

Take care everybody!