Trust Is Built in the Follow-Through

When I first adopted my daughter - who came from a background of neglect - 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲.

Would she think I wasn’t coming back?
Would this feel like abandonment all over again?

I tried to prepare her and prevent confusion:
𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 → Too abstract. She didn’t yet understand time.
I drew pictures of airplanes and homecomings. → Still too abstract.

What eventually worked?
𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬.

She watched me pack, helped choose my clothes, stayed close. One time she wanted me to stay and took all my shoes out of my bag before I had even left. I arrived onsite with only the shoes I had on.
But after a few trips, she knew: I always came home.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠:
🗂️ A family submits paperwork for housing but doesn’t hear back.
Do they assume they were denied? Or the system failed them again?

📆 A landlord agrees to rent but doesn’t know when they’ll get paid.
How likely are they to stay in the program?

📞 A client calls and gets a different tone or answer every time.
Does that build trust or frustration?

In both parenting and housing, people don’t just need information.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬.
They need to know someone will follow through on their behalf.

And that’s another reason why training, clear checklists, reliable systems, and the right team aren’t optional ... they’re essential.