עברית
Reut Stories
Avi*, Reut
I take good care of my plants. I plant seedlings that sprout like nails, onions, and other flowers. When they are ready, I put them in my section of the garden. The children are sometimes jealous of my garden and occasionally they try to destroy it. Soon I will have extra garden space, where I can grow more plants. I love to see the garden bloom. It gives me pleasure that through my efforts the garden exists and makes the Reut home pretty. I love the work, and I want the rest of the children to help me with it instead of trying to destroy the garden.
Kobi Alkobi, Counselor at Reut
Avi has been at Reut for three years. He is eleven years old and always looks embarrassed and a little hunched. During his first two years he found it hard to form a meaningful relationship with the adults, or the other children. He preferred to be a "good boy" who functioned, so that the others wouldn't focus his attention on him, and to avoid confrontation, which is so hard for him.
Half a year ago, Avi asked me to help him with the garden. I was very surprised by this – it wasn't characteristic at all – and obviously I happily said yes. We fixed a time in the schedule, and ever since we meet every week, water the plants, do the weeding, plant new seeds, and talk. Avi does most of the talking. Therapeutic gardening allows him to open up. Once, for example, he said that "plants are like children – in order to grow they both need water, sun, food, and attention." He diligently takes care of the garden and the courtyard, and it seems that he has stood taller ever since he started, and has felt better. His security has grown, and his self-esteem and his feeling of belonging to the home have increased.