Children of convicts and executed criminals in the Morning Tears center in Henan's provincial capital Zhengzhou have a good time playing games on June 1, Children's Day. Photos by Erik Nilsson / China Daily

A small person's big identity question

I'm 31. But I felt their ages (6-14) that day - and acted as such.

One of the revelations of our family's two-day stay at the center was that these children, at least during our short visit, seemed indistinguishable from other kids. Actually, they seemed better at sharing, and sweeter to our nearly 3-year-old daughter, than most of Lily's "other" peers.

That might, to some extent, stem from growing up with 51 "siblings".

Our stay made clear the benefits of such caretaking centers for children of convicts, who often fall through legal loopholes in China and are subjected to a second sentencing that comes with that of every convicted parent - one society scarcely thinks of.

Yet while they seem well adjusted (and they are compared to the children who face their situation without such social support), psychological scars - sometimes bearing physical manifestations - run deep and often resurface.

The center has an equivalent of a suicide-watch room, mostly for new arrivals.

Two teenage girls took a special interest in Lily. One was as sweet as she could be to her.

But she sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and beats other kids, caretakers say.