9 North

9 North is the place where little kids with psychiatric problems stay in our local hospital. As you already know I teach art to the terminally sick kids at that same hospital once a month. Today was my first time teaching for the kids at 9 North. It was a great experience. I think the kids really enjoyed having something to do besides stare at the walls of their rooms. We made sculptural chairs out of pipe cleaner and then decorated our chairs with beads and feathers. I was really impressed with the detail these kids put into their chairs. They each named their chairs and talked about their work, unsolicited. It was really cool. But it was also really sad, really really sad. I had to count exactly how many pairs of scissors I had and how many pencils I had, to make sure the kids didn't steal them and use them to hurt themselves. One girl was cutting her finger with the scissors while we were sitting there. She wasn't trying to draw blood she just thought it felt cool. These kids were between the ages of 9 and 15. So young. And they got there for drinking a bottle of Windex because they were depressed, or because they beat up other kids, or whatever. The bottom line is that something in these kids lives is wrong, as in someone or someones are hurting them. Emotionally, physically, sexually, whatever. A baby doesn't come into this world and want to hurt herself or others. Those kinds of behaviors are a serious cry for help. I pray that I can protect Evelyn from whoever or whatever causes these poor kids to feel so bad that they want to die or hurt someone else.