The Importance of Frogs

A story from a former staff at one of our partnered placement programs!
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“When a rescued kid arrives for the first time, they are usually very hard and distrusting. They will interact with you but you can tell they are really assessing if they’re safe.
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It often takes a couple of months till you see the exhale, and it’s usually after a giant blow up, lol. After a while, you get to see glimpses of the true inner child, and it's the best thing ever.
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One of my favorite moments of that inner child coming out was one day when I took the girls to the pond, somehow it turned into us catching frogs for an hour.
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This particular girl had never caught a frog before, and these were some hefty bullfrogs! She reached out all stealthy in the grass and snatched this big ole frog! Once it was in her hands, she freaked out and let it get away, lol. But she looked at me with the most child-filled excitement and said, “Did you see me! Did you see me?! I had it in my hand! I caught a frog!” Two seconds later, she reverted back to the hard slang talk, but that glimpse was so cute and something to remember, I’ll never forget it.
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Even if the kids hit rough patches after their time in placement, I believe they remember how it felt to be safe and free. I pray that God uses these moments as lighthouses to guide them back to truth.”
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The healing process of survivors is full of big ups and big downs, but these glimpses of the survivors being kids again are so special.