Assume the Position
Written By: Neil Siskind, Esq.
www.siskindlawfirm.com
www.neilsiskindsupports.com
Children and teens have difficulty expressing and explaining their feelings. Frankly, adults have the same problem. If you know of a child who has recently lost a parent due to death, abandonment or imprisonment, do not wait until they express their feelings to step-in on their behalf. Assume that they are in a position of insecurity, vulnerability and confusion. Perhaps you will see outward expressions of these emotions in their behaviors- perhaps not- it depends on the child and it depends on your own skills of perception. But if you put yourself in the shoes of a youth without a father and consider how you would feel in such a circumstance, you can easily assume the position in which they feel caught-up. If you wait for a youth to ask for help in such a circumstance, you will wait forever. If you wait for their actions to reveal a youth who is in need of intervention- you may be too late.