People ask me why I call at-risk and homeless kids; "porcupine kids." I'm sure there are those who would view this as an unflattering label. The truth is, it's a nickname that comes from love, respect and admiration.

Porcupines are noted for their sharp, barbed quills. The purpose of these quills is two-fold. One purpose is to provide self-defense weapons in case of an attack, but mostly they serve as a strong visual deterrent to avoid being attacked in the first place. The other characteristic porcupines are known for is their soft underbellies.

Often times, when people think of street kids, they conjure up images of disheveled youth, wearing black clothes with shaved heads, tattoos, pierced body parts, spikes on their clothes, chains and knives. I have often been asked why these kids insist on such outlandish appearances.

Well, part of it is for the shock value, but the main reason for looking like they do is for the same purpose the porcupine's quills serve; to be used in defense and more importantly, to discourage aggression against them.

A very wise sage once said, "Never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins." It is improbable that most of us would ever walk in the shoes of homeless youth, but a better understanding might come from an attempt at looking at life through their eyes.

Imagine you are 15-years-old, living on the streets in a large city. Imagine the fear you would live with day in and day out, especially at night (a time when you are on the streets most often). Imagine walking down a poorly lit area, coming home from your job, on the way to meet up with some friends, or heading to a local food pantry to get a much needed dinner. Imagine the fear that would rise up inside you as you see cars slowing down and staring at you. The memory of past muggings that you and your friends have suffered is fresh in your mind.

Imagine the stress of not knowing which of these cars might stop suddenly, the occupants rushing out to attack you. It might be a group of gang-bangers who don't like you on their turf, or some rich local kids who like to bust up street kids because it satisfies their need to feel superior. Or it could be a sexual predator, looking for someone young to satisfy their perverse desires.

Imagine how your heart would race, how hard you would have to work to keep your fears from overwhelming you. Then, realize this happens every night. This is the reality of life on the streets for these youth.

Wouldn't you do everything you could to look as mean, as tough and as 'quilly' as you possibly could? Who wouldn't? This is also why so many street kids are drawn to drugs, especially meth. Crystal methamphetamine creates an illusion of invincibility in the user, giving them the impression that they are aggressive, fearless and unstoppable. No wonder it is the drug of choice for kids who are battling panic, fears and phobias on a daily basis. I am by no means condoning meth. I have seen it destroy the lives of people that I love and care deeply for. But by understanding the attraction to meth, it gives us a better understanding of these kids and hopefully encourages us to have more compassion for why they act like they do.

The reality of life on the streets is a bleak, tragic picture. Every homeless youth I have talked with has had at least one incident of being mugged, beaten, robbed or raped while they were living on the streets. Usually perpetrated on them by complete strangers, they are almost always outnumbered by a high ratio. Predators like to roam in packs, and the sad reality is that there are many predators that prey on street kids for a variety of reasons. Predators know these kids are vulnerable, they know these kids have no safe place to call home, and they know these kids are not likely to contact the police.

But, just like porcupines, these kids have very tender underbellies. Underneath all their tattoos, piercings, shaved heads, and dyed hair and behind all that fear and anger, there is a very tender hearted, sensitive young human being. Their hearts ache trying to understand why they were singled out. At such a young age to be physically and/or sexually abused. They wonder what's wrong with them that caused their parents to not love and nurture them, or abuse (physically, mentally, and/or sexually). They blame themselves for the dysfunction and abuse of their childhood.

Their heart breaks a little inside every time they hear someone refer to them as "a throwaway kid or a gutter punk," or as someone who is "lazy," "worthless" or "a deadbeat." They try hard not to show it, because showing weakness invites trouble when you are on the streets. But these young people care, deeply care, and most of them carry their emotions and their hearts on their sleeves. They have become good at hiding the pain and the fear; keeping everyone away with their 'porcupine quills.'

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