In the right business?

Today I heard a sixteen year old girl give another sixteen year old girl a piece of advice. It seems the first girl is back at school after taking a semester off because of having a baby. The second girl has apparently found out she is pregnant. I was sitting at the next table overseeing some students on a group project. They were on top of things and my ears drifted to the conversation of the two girls. It was a terrible situation for the girl to be in, but the other girl very diplomatically and concisely gave her very good advice. The young lady had no insurance but she was able to petition Medicaid to help out. She gave the young lady very specific programs to look up and people to call. These programs will provide health care for the girl and the baby for the first year and apparently it is fairly stress free for the pregnant girl. It was sage, heuristic advice and delivered with support and tenderness. It was delivered by a peer and perhaps the only person in this expectant mother's world that she could trust to have "been there". It is a tough situation to be sure but it was nice to know that this country isn't incapable of helping a little a bit.

Another young girl is in a bad spot. Her dad is in jail awaiting arraignment for a more serious crime in the next county over and could be remanded to the state pokey for the next 6 to 10. Her mom is living two counties over attempting to hide from the local constabulary that wants her on a minor drug warrant. The young lady has no idea where exactly her mother is. With little other family the girl is living out of suitcases on the charity of others. While there is apparently charity to go around the nature of the situation wears on her. How terrible that must be. My parents were the kind, are the kind, that would never let me fail. The girl has very little hope. As far as she knows she is and will always be on her own. She works a job. She works hard in school. She wants to be a mechanic. It takes about ten seconds to realize that being a mechanic, to her, is a veiled desire to have the freedom to never be stuck or left behind. I am not entirely certain if I am mature enough or capable enough to help these children suicceed in life.