I am writing this blog in the van on the way back from the ATN conference. I am exhausted, but it was a great event.

We had amazing speakers, fun social events, but most importantly, parents received support. One of the greatest things about this event is that parents are among other parents who get it.

It is wonderful to hear parents laugh as they swap stories and each person has a “better one” than the next. There are no questioning looks. There are no doubts surrounding what is said. Instead, is there understanding, empathy and true compassion.

I have received more hugs in the past week than I normally receive in a month or two. There were so many thank yous from parents who need a place to be able to talk without judgment. This was the place for them to be. Some people who were hesitant to come, for a variety of reasons, could not stop smiling and said how grateful they were to come.

Why is this such a big deal? If you live with a traumatized child, you understand. If you are not living this life yet, you will understand when you do. Virtually any child that comes from foster care is going to have SOME type of trauma. It is the trauma that resulted in their removal from their home. Simply being removed from the home can be their traumatic event. How would you have felt if you were removed from your home t the age of five or eight or ten, and never saw your parents or family again?

We also managed to “suck in” parents who are “normal”. Our exhibits were set up in the lobby of the hotel. Some “regular” guests happened to be walking through and ended up purchasing some of the books that we had.

Friday night we sat in the hot tub and played the Cowgirls name that Nancy and I have blogged about. People that were entering the hot tub were warned that they were playing along if they decided to join us. It was a large hot tub, so there were about 15 people playing along. One of the “regular” people that joined us was a high school teacher. She got it.

We also spent time with our dear friends Ken & Peg from the Attachment Institute of New England. Hanging out with them is like spending time with an improv comedy group. We joke that kids get better, just so they can get out of treatment with them. What makes them so incredibly good is that they are both parents to attachment affected kids. They understand our lives because they live it.

All the work involved in this conference is worth it when you hear the gratitude of the parents that feel “at home” for the first time in a long time, or maybe ever.

Look for the ATN conference to come to the East coast next year. An exact location has not been determined yet, so keep checking the website for more information.

Photo credit - scene from the ATN conference.