flys-brain-thoughts

[flys-brain-thoughts]

When I am appointed to represent a child, my first action is to separate them from their parents and tell them the following things:

1. I am their attorney. I do not work for their parent or the judge or the cops. I don’t care what any of those people want.

2. My job is to listen to them and try and make what they want happen in court. (At this point I make a joke about how most people want me to get them out of trouble but if someone wanted to be in trouble I would do my best.)

3. What they tell me is confidential. It goes nowhere unless they agree to it. (If old enough, I talk to them about mandatory reporters, and how I’m a mandatory non reporter.)

4. I will give them lots of advice because I’ve been doing court for a while and I know a lot about it, and they don’t. It’s all really complicated, and if they don’t understand what’s happening it’s my job to help them figure it out.

5. They will make the decisions. (At this point I usually have to reassure them that I’ll help, I’ll speak for them in front of the judge, and I’ve got their back. It’s scary to have an adult say you’re in charge, most of the time.)

6. I tell them I know it’s absolutely wild to have some stranger come in here and say “hey, you can trust me!” and that I get if they don’t believe everything right away, because I plan to show them through my actions and my words that I’ll fight for them.

7. But nonetheless, I will treat them like a person who can make decisions, because they are living their life and I am not.

I do not:

Pretend to be cool.

Try to be their BFF.

Overwhelm them with detail.

Let their parents in the room until the kid asks for them. (I provide openings for this, and ask if the kid wants their parent to help them remember and understand.)

I want to emphasize I went into this job knowing nothing about how to interact with vulnerable populations, especially children. The training was minimal, and my role means that I can literally walk into a facility and get an unmonitored visit with a minor client one on one.

In my years of practice I have never felt threatened by a child, even one that was “violent” and “unstable.” It turns out just saying “hi, I think you’re a person with thoughts” is wildly successful? Now people treat me like I have special Child Whisperer powers. My powers are that I ask the child what’s up and I’m not scared to say things that are objectively awkward. I know nothing about anything.

[flys-brain-thoughts]

idgaf if my parents are disappointed in me I'm not impressed by them either

[flys-brain-thoughts]

idgaf if my parents are disappointed in me I'm not impressed by them either

[flys-brain-thoughts]

idgaf if my parents are disappointed in me I'm not impressed by them either

[flys-brain-thoughts]

idgaf if my parents are disappointed in me I'm not impressed by them either

[flys-brain-thoughts]

idgaf if my parents are disappointed in me I'm not impressed by them either

[flys-brain-thoughts]

idgaf if my parents are disappointed in me I'm not impressed by them either

[flys-brain-thoughts]

idgaf if my parents are disappointed in me I'm not impressed by them either

[flys-brain-thoughts]

WARNING do NOT start reading books and comics or watching movies or looking at art!!! you will start wanting to create art yourself. or god forbid. writing.

[flys-brain-thoughts]

you ever have situations that make you want to take people by the shoulders and go "you are not 15 any longer. this behavior is no longer quirky and cute. it is exhausting for you and everyone else to act like a teenager you haven't been in a decade or longer. knock it the fuck off"

[flys-brain-thoughts]

I'm (procrastinating) working on cleaning and packing my room cause were getting ✨evicted✨ and I want to talk to someone about it but I have nothing to say and no one to say nothing to. this is weird :/

[flys-brain-thoughts]

[flys-brain-thoughts]

not to be all 'old man yells at cloud' but why are my neighbors yelling? sure, there's a party or something, maybe the musics loud, but you could turn it down?? like aside from maybe it being loud I cant imagine a situation ever you need to be that loud unless you're actively dying

like I'm not gonna do anything, have your fun, but fucking hell.

[flys-brain-thoughts]

yever have a migraine bad aenough and meds that take just so fucking long to kick in that the only thought in ur brain is 'please, God, just put me down' nope, not me. definitelynot, wonder wyat thays like haha

[flys-brain-thoughts]

yeah I;m coping *8+ hours of stardew daily* like I'm doing shockingly well *pacing around daydreaming until my feet are bruised and I dont feel real* especially considering everything happening, I'm doing pretty alright *can't eat anymore* like really *sleeping so much more than is normal or healthy, but still cant sleep well* just surprisingly good *kind of delerious 90% of the time* yyep

[flys-brain-thoughts]

robot girl domme for whom safewording requires two factor authentication

[flys-brain-thoughts]

Grounding techniques don't really work for me especially in public... "five things I can see" I see a bunch of people pissing me off