Children from homeless families describe what is special in their lives

The purpose of this study was to understand what homeless children regard as special. Jean Watson's conceptualization of human care was the orienting framework used in the development and construction of the study. Twelve children between the ages of 6 and 12 years, living at a public shelter, were the participants. The children were given cameras and asked to take photographs of anything that was special to them. Their descriptions of their photographs were analyzed using Moustakas' heuristic method. Important themes derived from qualitative interviews with the children included having fun, being with special people, feeling cared for, and always being there.