A Life Changing Visitor

A Life Changing Visitor: When Children's Services Knocks from Alison Greer on Vimeo.

Respect for Birth Families, please

 Thank you for not using negative language like "loser" and "crackhead" when discussing birth parents, even in adult conversation, among foster parents.  It's an ugly attitude to have, and it is not our job to demean and judge parents, it's our job to do support and have empathy for them.

Attempting Agape: Respect for Birth Families, please: As a foster parent I see people in their darkest days.  Kids who have been neglected or abused and the parents that did it or allowed ...

"The parental predisposition to love prevails in the most harrowing of circumstances"

"It is astonishing how often such mutuality had been realized - how frequently parents who had supposed that they couldn’t care for an exceptional child discover that they can. The parental predisposition to love prevails in the most harrowing of circumstances. There is more imagination in the world than one might think." Andrew Solomon, Far from the Tree

Now that the adoption is finalized...

An excellent checklist of things to consider once adoption occurs.

Now that the adoption is finalized...

If you can't adopt...

If you can't adopt...
via Foster Youth

"The Fosters" on ABC Family

The jury is still out as the whether this new new show The Fosters on ABC Family will be offensive and damaging or just plain unrealistic drama.  Or maybe it will be educational? This series was created by Jennifer Lopez, and I have no idea what her intentions might be for this show.

It hasn't started yet, but I saw a commercial advertising this new series about foster care and it's trials and tribulations.
My initial reaction, based solely on the really awful programming I have already seen on ABC Family, is that it will reinforce negative stereotypes for  dramatic effect.  I do not expect to find an intelligent, thoughtful portrayal of the foster kids.  I hope I am wrong.

But maybe this is also a case of No Advertising is Bad Advertising. Maybe it will at least bring public awareness to fostering, and get people interested.  I hope so.