Mad in the Netherlands: When I (Sara) was six, my father died. My mother could no longer take care of us after that, and I ended up in special youth care (Belgium). For more than ten years, I went from one facility to another. Different school, different bed, different living group. I was, to put it mildly, a turbulent teenager. I pushed against every boundary I encountered. In all those years, with hundreds of care providers crossing my path, I can count on one hand who really meant something. Not the care providers who wanted to correct my rebellious behavior. Rather, the care providers who looked beyond that behavior and saw what I was trying to arrange. You feel that difference as a child. You know immediately whether a connection is real, or if someone is just managing your behavior.
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