The truth.
The truth is, foster care is not easy. That's probably why so many people avoid it. Over and over I hear people talk about the messed up system, the overworked social workers, and the all too forgiving judges.
“Don't they just keep giving those biological parents chance after chance? There is no way I'd be able to put up with that messed up system. ”
Unfortunately, there are over 400,000 children in foster care in the United States as of January 2018 (www.adoptioncouncil.org) That's 400,000 plus kids and families dealing with this ''messed up system'' on a daily basis. If we aren't going to step up and help make a difference who will? Those numbers have steadily been increasing every year since 2012. The problem isn't going to go away. It's going to take an army of loving parents to step up and get involved. Someone needs to fight for them. Someone needs to help change the system. Someone needs to be their voice. Turning away from the problem doesn't make it go away. Yes, I agree. The system is messed up. The social workers are overworked. The judges, far too often, allow biological parents chance after chance and all the while the kids suffer as they are shoved back and forth between foster homes, family homes, and back into foster homes. At some point this has got to stop. The abuse inflicted on these kids from the instability of judicial decisions can be just as damaging to them emotionally and mentally, as the abuse the system is trying to protect them from. Just ask them. No analytical data proof necessary.
The Power of Hope, Love and Grace
Foster Care is not easy. It is time consuming. It is draining. It is unpredictable. Foster care asks us to invest in our community. It asks us to get involved by providing temporary care. And yet, it also presents an opportunity for us to lavish these kids with love, giving them a hope for their futures; showing them what love looks like. It's a chance for us to nurture them with the care they need.
Giving these kids a chance to thrive in a safe, nuturing home is the ultimate goal of foster care. I firmly believe as more families step up and are wiling to fight for these kids we will see a revolutionary change to a broken system. We will see the hearts of judges, caseworkers and lawyers change. And my prayer is that we will see cycles of abuse, addiction and neglect broken because these children will know that there is a better way to live.