I am the Mother of Institutionalized Children

And what that looks like in real life has been so captivating.

Beyond the books,
Beyond all of those "experts"
Beyond the research and theories and studies
is me.
Just me.
Their mom.
And them.
My children.
My previously institutionalized children.

For the most part I imagine that you can see us walking down the street and think nothing of it.
It isn't outwardly obvious minute to minute but it most certainly shows itself in the little things.

How they haven't ever had a bath in a bathtub before and the sheer joy that comes every night from having a bubble bath.
This is the bathroom in their foster home.

See that large "tub" on the right of the squatty potty?
That's where they stand for a "bath".



Or how they keep everything. 
As I sit here and type there is a McDonald's bag from 3 days ago containing 2 cold stale leftover french fries sitting next to me.
We can't throw it away.
It's theirs.

Namely for us, it has been their watches.
They came to us wearing their watches and it seems to govern and control their day. They are both near consumed by what time it is, what day it is, what time of day it is.
Remarkable really.

Then there is things like bedtime.
How they must brush their teeth, wash their hands, wash their face and then get into bed not once looking for a hug, a story, or someone to tuck them in.
Jacob is almost always asleep before his head hits the pillow(after double checking his watch.)
Joey lies here and sings a sweet little song to himself.
Precious.

It's near heartbreaking how independent they both are.
I'm pretty certain that we could leave them alone for a week and they would be just fine.
If you are deserted on an island, these are the two people you'd want with you.
And they have each other's back......big time.
If they don't have it, they will find it.
If they can't open it, they will find a way.
If it's broken, they will fix it.

It is self sufficiency taken to a whole  new level.
And for a 6 & 7 year old it's just plain...
well.......
wrong.

So bit by bit, day by day we have been here side by side with them showing them that they don't have to do it all. Or know it all. Or fix it all. That's what they have us for.
They can just relax. We've got their back now.
And those McDonald's fries, well,
there's plenty more where that came from.