“Why is your mom so old?”
How can an eight-year-old answer that question?
The woman who packed her lunch, helped with homework, and tucked her in every night was her grandma. Explaining that meant explaining why she didn’t live with her mom. That wasn’t something she wanted to talk about at school.
Most kids asking questions aren’t trying to be mean. They’re just curious.
But she was tired of being different.
One summer evening, her grandma took her to a pool party.
The city had closed Boswell Aquatic Center to everyone else. This pool party was just for foster, kinship, guardianship, and adoptive families. That evening, 86 kids from 29 families came to swim.
Neighbors brought supper. Two Amish brothers brought melons. Volunteers cooked and helped make the evening happen. Nobody paid a thing.
She looked around. Kids with grandparents. Kids with foster parents. Brothers and sisters who didn’t look anything alike.
Nobody seemed to think any of it was unusual.
She found another girl to swim with. They raced across the pool and splashed each other until they were out of breath. Her grandma sat with grown-ups who understood her life, too.
Nobody asked why she lived with her grandma.
They just wanted to know if she wanted to play.
And the pool party was just one example. Every month, Kids’ Night Out creates opportunities for families to have fun together, whether that’s a community event or a take-home pack of games for a night in.
For a few hours, she was just another eight-year-old at the pool.
In the Ozarks, this is what community looks like.
The photo is from a Kids’ Night Out pool party, with some people digitally altered to protect privacy.
CARRY HOPE – DAY 5 OF 30
For 30 days in November, discover the people, the needs, and the ways this community responds.
Follow the 30-day challenge
What you can do
Carry Hope
For 30 days in November, we are sharing one story a day about a real challenge facing children and families in the Missouri Ozarks, what is being done about it, and how you can help carry it.
Read more Carry Hope stories →Our Matching Partners
Thanks to these partners, $25,500 is waiting to match your gifts this November.
| Dr. Dawn and Dean Barker |  |  |
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Along with a generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous.
