Sweet Caroline

This is Caroline.

Is she not the most adorable thing ever?! Cause trust me, she is. I met Caroline about a year and a half ago when she was barely two-years-old. She was a little developmentally behind and her parents were worried about her. I was offered a job to work with her and it has been one of the most incredible opportunities and rewarding experiences I have ever had.

I was in desperate need of a job when I moved home last summer and prayers were answered when Niki called me. She asked if I would be willing to be trained with her and her husband in a program to help their daughter and I immediately accepted. We began the training process with a program called ABA, which was way more intense and structured than I could have imagined. There was so much to remember and I was starting to feel overwhelmed and inadequate. However, the family had high hopes for their daughter and I wanted to help in any way that I could.

The family and I worked together for about a month and then I was on my own. It was scary at first and I was full of questions, but the family and our trainer were great and I started to feel more and more comfortable. At times it was hard, but there was nothing better than seeing her progress and developing a sweet bond with this sweet girl. Around her 3rd birthday she had improved greatly and her parents decided to end the program. Luckily they decided to still use me and now I go over about twice a week to just play with her. How great a job is that?

Working with Caroline truly has been life changing. I have learned so much and it is actually what made me decide my major (human development and family studies). I genuinely love this girl and working with her had been a blessing.