[Deo volente]

After reading all the bad news of the day, I found this to be a delightful story. Read the whole article...some great memories of times gone by.

[aliquando]

Hey I was born in Luzerne County(Kingston), Just a bit later though!

[Jenny217]

My Mother and 4 of her siblings went to an orphanage in the early 30's in Akron Ohio. Her brothers stayed there until they all turned 18, she was there for 5 years until she was old enough to clean her aunt's boarding house. No horror stories from any of her siblings either. She still has a wooden trinket box she received for Christmas one year while she was in the home.

The life she had at the children's home was a great deal better than her life with her aunt. She eventually had to be legally separated from her as an adult. Years after she left and became an RN, the woman would not leave her alone, insisting that she 'owed' her something ($$) by taking her out of the home at 12.

[ex-snook]

Thanks for the article.

"I have absolutely no remembrance of anything bad about the orphanage."

Agrees completely with my experience in a NY orphanage.

[Bitsy]

My great grandfather adopted two orphans from the “orphan train” that would come to New Orleans. One became a Dominican nun the other a Jesuit priest. My grandfather was a very devout German Catholic immigrant family man and a successful businessman in the early 1900s. He would often send bushels of oranges and other treats to the orphanages and kegs of beer to the nuns. I have and album of letters of appreciation written in the beautiful, elegant handwriting of that time thanking him for the gifts. Evidently the nuns liked a little nip or two after the children were in bed:)

[susannah59]

I know a woman in her 30's who spent part of her childhood and teenage years in a children's home.

She was very grateful to have been removed from an abusive situation and placed in a stable situation where she felt people really cared about her welfare. She believes it made a big difference in her life, including exposing her to people from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Being away from her family gave her the insight to not repeat many of the mistakes and she is happily married to a man who treats her well. She is able to be a good mother to her own children and, now that they are no longer small, she is starting to pursue her own career dreams with her family's support.

Children's Homes are something we probably need more of; however I will say that I have met some wonderful foster parents who are not "in it for the money" but who really care about the children they take in and who are trying their best to make a positive difference in the life or lives of a child or children.

[Nea Wood]

I’ve read many accounts of older people who remember their orphanage experiences very fondly. Frankly, I think we should think about bringing orphanages back. People react with horror when you say that...thinking of Oliver Twist workhouses, I guess. But orphanages CAN be done right, or at least they used to be. And it beats being shuffled around in the foster care system, living with an abusive or neglectful relative, or a mom who only had you so she could get a bigger welfare check.