Letter from a colleague

Dave Damschen wrote this moving letter in 1987 on his departure from the San Diego Centre for Children as a child care worker. Although addressed to the staff at the Centre, its message is for all child care workers.

Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck by the difference between what things are and what they might have been – Hazelen

Dear friends,

I am occasionally asked why I do what I do. Work with kids, that is. With the low pay, high stress and all. And I occasionally seek to answer that question, more for myself than for others. Well, the kids are, of course, one answer. No child should have to experience the kind of pain our kids endure daily. They live our worst nightmares, and that's just not right!

I, like all of you who work 'in the trenches' or very near, laugh with these kids and weep with them. And once in a while, perhaps in a rare moment, I am “struck by the difference between what thing are and what they might have been". And it is this understanding, and their pain, that makes my personal sacrifices seem meagre and easily palatable.

Another reason is perhaps selfish. It has been said that every child care worker chooses his/her profession in order to rework his/her own childhood issues. I don't know if this is true but I do know that every day I work with these kids I get more than I give. Every day I work, my belief in the human spirit is reaffirmed in their struggles. Every day my heart is touched. I find their courage inspirational, and hauntingly gratifying. Their gift is far greater than mine.

These reasons seem to me to be sufficient to justify my 'work' but there is one more reason, perhaps the greatest of them all! That reason is YOU! It gives me pain to watch your sacrifices and struggles – financial, emotional and personal. But when I see you fight the battle, day after day, week after week, always coming back – I know a better world for children is possible. No. Inevitable.

You are heroes. And you are my heroes. Mere association with people of your quality is more compensation than any amount of money or prestige ever will be. You alone made this job worth the effort.

True contribution to a team effort comes only with time. Regrettably, my 'time' on the team has been relatively short. I can only hope that whatever humble contributions I have been able to make are worthy of your effort. Please know that I am richer for the experience.

I leave this place with a very heavy heart. It is a heart, fuller and warmer. For that, I thank you.

Gratefully Yours,
Dave Damschen

From a newsletter of the California Association of Child Care Workers