11/19 "No way, kiddo. I expect more."

"I'm an ice cream lady." He sat across from me, trying his best to be swag, my pint-size alpha male. "You wha'?" "I'm an ice cream lady. I ride a tricycle and sell ice cream." Astounded. (if I do say so myself) He smiled and shook his head in disbelief. "Ms. A. You an ice cream lady?" "Yes." "You gonna do it again? In the summer?" "Yes." "You got em for free?!?!" "For you, I charge double." As many of you know, I'm both an ice cream lady and a teacher for homeless kids Kindergarten-5th grade. This time of year is often a time of high anxiety. The beginning of the school year honeymoon is long over. This week, the moon is full and Halloween is lurking. For homeless families, the shift in weather increases the need for housing....not only for shelter, but because living in close quarters doubled up with family and friends becomes less and less functional as we all be begin to spend more and more time indoors. Tension is high. Families are shuffling. And even seemingly good news, (getting their own place!), causes big uncertainty in little hearts. Because even though living in shelter or transitional housing or doubled up with friends can be tense and chaotic......sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. And, not knowing....when you're in elementary school (and even when you're not).....can cause a person to behave in unattractive ways. Ways that say, "I'm not going to let you get too close." Often people, after hearing I work with homeless kids, say "I don't know how you do that. It must be so depressing." It is. But me NOT working with homeless kids and their families doesn't make it not depressing. It doesn't make their lack of housing disappear. It doesn't make them certain of what bus they ride home, or where home is today. It doesn't make them behave. It doesn't make addiction or domestic violence stop. Working with homeless kids and families can be depressing and chaotic and maddening and inspiring and ridiculous and loving and exhausting and delightful and eye-opening and rarely dull. I do it because "he", like the one above needs people to work together to expect more, love more, teach more, learn more....so he can be more. Free? No way, kiddo. I expect more. For you, I charge double. Mrs. Delicious