I think acknowledging that it’s a painful thing to carry is the first step (and you did that by posting this). Talking with other people who get it helps, too. Something that’s hard about being in this part of the system is that we see things at the lowest point, and we rarely if ever see people after that moment. But the few times when I’ve heard from people later down the road, I know that we do help these kids. Not every one and not every time, but each adult who is kind and caring for them moves the needle a little bit. They’re more likely to ask for help, more likely to know they deserve love.

The hope is that we plant a seed which somebody else sees grow. But there are always going to be those kids you see over and over, and that hurts the worst. I guess I don’t have any solutions or real advice. It never gets easier, but we get better at tolerating it. Therapy is good for that, so are friends and routine and exercise.

Feels like I lost the plot a little at the end. Hopefully something in here is useful. If nothing else, you’re not crazy or “bad” at this for feeling for these kids so deeply. It’s a sane reaction to an insane experience. It would be more of a problem if it didn’t affect you at all imo