Getting Cr*p

Hello again blog.

Sorry to mither you again in the same day, but my brain is on overdrive. 

I found this comment on the site today:

"My sister has worked for years at a solicitors and when I asked why she didnt take further training as she had been offered, her reply was "and put up with the c**p they have to put up with, no thanks".

Which set my little blonde brain whirring again.

Do we get cr*p?

Well, looking back over 5 years spent, in the main, in one Court in the North of England, I tried to recall my experiences.

 In that space of time I have had:

One dad lock me in a room and tell me if I didn't get him his kids back he was going to slit my throat to make sure I didn't lose anyone elses (because of course, I lost the children, it had nothing to do with the abuse he had inflicted on them);

When appearing for the local authority on applications to remove children from their parents I have had, hmm, probably about 10 separate occasions when it has been screamed down the landing at me that I am a copulating female dog among other things;

On guy removed from the cell ante room he was in with me after backing me into a corner (he wasn't happy with the result);

Been pushed over by an angry husband after I stood in front of the wife he was threatening to kill;

Had my car keyed twice in the court carpark.

Oh....and managed to get myself yelled at by a fair few judges a fair few times ; ).

When you list those experiences they look fairly bad I suppose - bit more abuse than most people receive at work maybe, but far less than say a police officer.

But when those things happened, and when I look back at them now, it is easy to justify them.  Court buildings are full of people facing the most stressful experiences of their lives.  People are facing losing their liberty, their children, their homes.  So when I put it into that context (which is what I have always done) you just brush yourself off, dust yourself down and go on to another day.

Looking back at the comment I wondered if  I would have reconsidered my career choice if I had been told of some of the things that I would experience.  And the answer?

A great big shouty resounding NO.  Being sensible and realising what people are going through and putting their abuse in that context makes it dealable with.  I agree in a perfect world no-one should be abused at work.  But the world isn't perfect and people have emotions. 

And of course I have to balance a bit of being yelled at, maybe the occasional shove, with with the upside of my job.  The great big hug you get when your client thanks you for what you have done.  The glowy feeling of a job well done.  The priviledge of being involved in people's lives.  The possibly even greater priviledge of speaking on their behalf so that their voice is heard.

I wouldn't give that back for anything...no matter how much cr*p I might get every so often.

LB2...Mwah!