Reflections on Care Work

Henry Maier

The thoughts for “In a Nutshell" bring me back to the hectic days before Christmas when the agency was flooded by well-wishers with their generous ideas of sharing holiday pleasures with the residents of the institution. We were overwhelmed, with more candy canes than we could use for at least three holiday seasons, as well as with sundry stuffed toys, dolls, and puzzles.

We managed to liberate ourselves from our kind and generous donors by a simple but different approach. Weeks before the holidays, we sent out letters to potential donors. While we appreciated their interest in the young boys and girls, we explained that what we needed most would be cash to enable the core workers, the children's closest associates, to purchase the personally chosen gifts that they knew would most surprise and delight the kids. However, if they preferred to do the shopping, we were always in need of useful gifts, such as new wire baskets for their bikes, colorful shirts or footballs for boys, wind jackets for girls “or pretty wooden boxes for them to keep their treasures and jewelry in. Help us to surprise them as well with any special attractive gifts for youngsters between the ages of eleven and sixteen. But please no more candy.

While thinking about Christmas, I recall the fun we had working on gifts of the children's own making. Walnut shell bird feeders were easy-to-make and inexpensive gifts. Divide the walnut in half. Take out the nutmeat and cut it into small sections. Stuff it back with suet (suet can be obtained for a few pennies at most meat counters). Drill a hole at the top of the half shell. thread a sting through it. and it is now ready to be hung from a branch or outside a window frame. Child-made Christmas cookies or candied slices of orange and grapefruit peels were also tasty and attractive gifts.

All the youngsters enjoyed making their own Christmas wrappings from glossy white shelf paper; finger paintings, not for therapy, but for gift making. One can make one's own finger paint with cornstarch boiled in water with some ordinary watercolors or poster paint. Then let the kids create their own design for colorful wrappings.

I'm sure you can think of other gift suggestions. It s most important that the youngsters have fun doing it not for production, but for gift-giving sake.

Find pleasure in doing things with the kids.

Seasons greetings!