My parents used to take in emergency foster kids. One little boy that they fostered was a shaken baby. We got him right out of the hospital. His father had shaken the baby and then took him to the babysitters. Poor babysitter was blamed for a while before they figured out what really happened. It was so sad to watch this little boy who couldn't even unclench his fingers or his toes on his own. I was taught to change his feeding tube, how to work the machine and how to massage his leg and arm muscles. It really makes you painfully aware of how fragile those little ones are. He was the sweetest little boy and you could tell if he was happy or if he was sad by the rate of his breathing. Today I think that he is 7 or 8. Because of his father he will have to use leg braces and one of those canes for the rest of his life and he will always have learning and focus problems. It really is sad to see.
