A Place to Write

I just saw this blog post and wanted to edit a few things for our situation: 1. It’s Not Their Fault Perhaps the biggest misconception about children in foster care is that the children are somehow at fault. When I was much younger, I had this same false belief, that children in foster care were bad kids, and that they did something wrong. Yet, this is so far from the truth. These are children who are the victims. These are children who are suffering. Children suffering from abuse. Neglect. Malnutrition. Even drug-related problems passed on from a mother’s addiction. Children rejected by those who were to love them most, their parents. When placed into a foster home, many of these children carry with them the physical and emotional scars that prevent them from accepting the love of another.   My comments: These kids are victims. They have been through terrible things but the kids who I've seen have no problem accepting the love of another. They crave it. They need ...

So much is happening and yet when people ask me "How is it going?" I really don't have anything to report. J is great. He's a really good kid. He gets distracted easily, he's messy, and he doesn't respond well to authority but he tries to be helpful, he's always home a half hour before whatever curfew we set and he's doing well. It's a tough transition going from two, shy little girls to an outgoing teenage boy but we're working through it. I reached out to our agency for some counseling/parent coaching for Brendon and I. Turns out I'm a little more flexible (easily-manipulated depending on how you look at it) than Brendon is. I wouldn't saying it's causing problems in our marriage, cause that boy is stuck with me, but it is causing some riffs. I need clear rules and reasons for the rules before I feel comfortable enforcing them. With no reasons I cave easily. I want to give J the most normal teenage life possible--like the one ...

Brendon scolded Eisley for being too crazy in the car. She got quiet for a few seconds and then... Eisley: ow...OW....Oooooow Brendon: Eisley, what's wrong? Eisley: You hurt my heart!