Memory Keepers Daughter Reflection

While watching this movie I realized The Memory Keepers Daughter is mainly about families that loose or give up on a child with disabilities rather than the person who is living with disabilities. Because of this the movie has taught me how families are affected when they lose a child and the difficulties a family member can have when he or she gives away their child whom was born with a disability. I learned that some families have to make a tough decision in choosing what they think is best for their family. These decisions are hard but I believe people do not fully understand are the necessary things to raise a child with a disability and therefore, give their child away because they believe raising a child with a disability is impossible.

To start off, if I was Caroline Gil, the nurse in the movie, I would tell the mother that Dr. Henry lied to her and what really happened. If the father prevented me from telling the mother, then I would tell someone that could help. However, I see why Caroline did what she did in the moment and cannot shame her for it because she wanted what was best for the child. Caroline rescues the child from a horrible life in a mental institution and takes the child and raises her on her own. She struggles to raise Phoebe but continues to fight for Phoebe to be given a chance to receive an education because the public schools in 1977 would not allow children with disabilities to be given an education. Seeing how Caroline never gave up on Phoebe encourages me to never give up on the children I work with or raise. For my future job, I feel like I can find the strength to also fight for the children I work with if I see if they are being treated

Therefore, the way people with disabilities were treated and taken care of has changed a lot compared to the present time. By saying this, I would have to view the situation during the years the movie takes place and then again for present time. If I was living in the year 1964 when Phoebe was born and was working as a social worker, I would help Caroline do the right thing for the baby. Weather it was to tell the mother what her husband did or if the family decided not to keep the child, then I would help Caroline adopt the baby as her own. However, if the movie took place in present day, as a social worker I would have more authority and power to see if the father was just making a rash decision or if the family really does not want to raise a child with disability. I would communicate as best as I could to teach the family the positive and negative things that come with raising a child with a disability. I would give examples of families who choose to keep the child and families who gave up their child. I would never hide any facts and tell the truth so families will be given all of the facts and know almost anything is possible. Also in present time, Human Services would also have more power to help the family with a child with disability and get them the proper help to deal with the addition. All in all, I feel in 2015 as a social worker or human