An ounce of prevention.....

As the old adage goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."  Today the BSF staff participated in an all-day training which focused on ways to build resiliency in our kids.  Research shows that the greater number of adverse childhood experiences, the more at-risk the child is for unhealthy behaviors, such as the misuse of drugs and alcohol.  However, research also shows that certain factors can provide some measure of protection and increase the likelihood of healthy life choices, despite the adverse childhood experiences.  Understanding the risk factors and the protective factors provided a framework for the  BSF staff to assess which protective factors they are currently providing and to discuss ways in which they can build on their current practices.

The single most important factor in building resiliency in children is a relationship with a stable, caring adult.   And the BSF staff do an amazing job of accomplishing just that.  Despite the plethora of challenges, Leena Satyal and her staff work tirelessly to address the needs of each individual child because they truly love the children and strive to give the children a sense of family and belonging.  Rick and I are so grateful that our children are in such good hands.

And to help the staff's resiliency through a long day of training, they provided a momo party at lunch time.  Everything from spinach momo's to potato momo's to dessert momo's.  Who knew one could find momo's filled with nuts and cinnamon and sugar?  Or with sweet cream?  For those of you who have never tried a momo, you don't know what you are missing!  It's a kind of traditional Nepali dumpling, and it's delicious!

We ended the day with some playful photos...after all, humor helps build resiliency, too!