Did anyone happen to catch Dianne Sawyer in Camden yesterday? They basically ran an hour special following a couple kids over the course of a year- two five year olds, and a 17 year old. And, although we all know it is out there, it is certainly something to see it, especially from the perspective of the kids.

A couple examples stick in my mind. The first was the kid they followed most. He was five years old, basically homeless, and incredibly excited to go to kindergarten. And, the kid was bright. For example, not only could he count, but he was teaching his 3 year old brother to do the same. But, this same kid who could count, and was learning to read, was totally stumped when a teacher asked him to name the three meals of the day. Why so much trouble? Cause the kid rarely, if at all, had three meals a day. And shockingly, this incredible 5 year old, who started off so strong, immediately started struggling in school.

The second was a 17 year old, thought of as bright by all of his teachers, but who was just barely finishing high school. Well, it turns out that the kid 1)would sometimes be forced to go hungry, 2)Slept on a floor, in an unheated room, and 3)rather than going home to do homework, he would take a bus to a ritzier part of town, and work at a fast food restaurant every night, in order to help his dad take care of his brothers and sisters and cousins. So, you know, not a ton of time for an english paper when you are getting home at midnight...

Something about the perspective of kids makes it all pretty damn real. And, when 12 million kids in America apparently go without as much food as they should have, it is pretty sobering to think about.

Anyway, yeah, this is nothing new to anyone. But, since it is happening in Camden, and neighborhoods all over Philadelphia, I thought it was worth mentioning.

Did anyone else see it?