there is still time to mention national foster care month!
i have often wondered why it is that we are rarely shown anything positive about foster care by our media.
most stories are generally done to sensationalize the negative aspects of the system and those few horrible people who have slipped through the screening process to further hurt these children.
this only acts to link negative connotations with the concept of caring for some of our nations most vulnerable children.
wouldn't it be a service to report on the success of kids and families who have been united by foster care?
in our country, adopting from foster care is often overshadowed by stories of foreign adoption.think angeleena, (i love angeelena, and brad, oh brad, the x-rated dreams.... sorry, i digress.... )
i am hopeful she will have the foresight to consider a waiting child from our country. the media attention could start a much needed surge in this domestic adoption choice.
dont get me wrong, i have nothing against foreign adoption, its just hard for me to hear people express their fear that adopting a child from foster care is too much of a risk.
after all, what is really known about the beautiful little girl from china and her prenatal care? or that amazing romanian boy who languished in an understaffed orphanage for months?
it saddens me that foster children are often portrayed as "unfixable", coming with too much damage or baggage. truth is, there are simply no guarantees in life and every adoption will have its unknowns. is this really any different from having a biological child? isn't it all a roll of the dice?
in the end, there is the commitment of parenting. it is love, stability and guidance that helps a child to become a functional member of society.
as anyone who knows me can attest, i am strongly committed to spreading the word that foster care is a needed and valuable community service of sorts. these children are the future citizens, neighbors and friends of our communities, and currently, there are over 513,000 of them in custody, many needing adoptive homes across the united states.
if youve ever thought about opening your home to a foster child, please know; no matter how much time you have to commit, you can do something positive to change the life of a young person forever.
if you want to learn more, please click here: foster care month
2 comments:
Great post. And thank you for not slamming international adoption in order to promote foster care/fost-adopt. My opinion is that kids are kids and they all need homes regardless of where they're from. Each country's adoption process and care system has it's caveats -- families just have to choose which option suits their family best.
Yes, give us a little good news about good people helping those of us who need our help the most the kids. Thank you for the Rant! and keep Ranting.
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