I don’t know why I do this to myself... I just spent the last few hours reading different testimonials of foster children on this website http://www.fosterclub.com/ I haven’t had a chance to discover exactly what the website is all about just yet (I am to busy reading all the different stories of some amazing young adults) But I am even more inspired and excited than ever before!
You may ask why I would be interested in bringing strangers into my home?? Let me tell you a little about that :)
As a child we might have been better off in a foster home (I hope my mom is not reading this). There was lost of abuse, mostly mental but also some physical and a whole lot of neglect. I was the oldest of 4 and was sexually molested by at least 4 people. I don’t have very many memories of the incidences, I only have one memory from each predator so I am not sure if my memories are the only times it happened or if I blocked out all the other times. Frankly I am very ok with the small amount of memories that I do have. Most of the predators that molested me were actually relatives of my day care providers.
I feel that if a better job of screening was done by my parents this may have been prevented... or maybe not so many..... I don’t tell you this for sympathy, I tell you this because I feel I have some experiences that may help others relate to me, to be able to open up to me and who may be able to rely on me to help them. I don’t know all of the statistics (as of yet) but I do know that sexual abuse is high in children who are in the foster system.
Not only do I have experience with being a victim of sexual abuse but I also have lots of history with drug and alcohol abuse, not with myself but with family members. My Dad always had a problem with drugs and alcohol; from as far back as I can remember. And you know the statistics of a girl that then dates guys just like her father... Yep that was me! So yes I found myself dating guys who had alcohol and drug problems. I never once got in a relationship knowing they had current issues, one time I knew he was in recovery and the 2nd I was completely blind sided by the fact that he was a drug user.... I was young when I 1st started dating them.... I still had a lot to learn but believe me when I say I learned very fast that this was not the path I wanted to follow.
I was also a child who grew up fast; at the age of 7 I started raising my 3 younger sisters and brother. My brother 6 months of age who was the youngest of my siblings I cooked, I cleaned and I made sure they were taken care of. My brother actually called me mom; I am who he knew as a caregiver to him. Again I am not telling you all this for pity I only tell you this so you can have a better understanding of why I have such a passion to help other children who may have been in similar situations.
I strongly believe that children can excel, if they feel loved and or have proper guidance. I want to be that guidance for those who need it. I feel I have so much to give and that I have an abundance amount of empathy without being sympathetic. I refuse to be an enabler but I will support good behavior and lead them in the right direction when ever they want it. I so look forward to beating the statistics and being a safe home and being a supportive family for children I would be so blessed to have in our home!
You may ask why I would be interested in bringing strangers into my home?? Let me tell you a little about that :)
As a child we might have been better off in a foster home (I hope my mom is not reading this). There was lost of abuse, mostly mental but also some physical and a whole lot of neglect. I was the oldest of 4 and was sexually molested by at least 4 people. I don’t have very many memories of the incidences, I only have one memory from each predator so I am not sure if my memories are the only times it happened or if I blocked out all the other times. Frankly I am very ok with the small amount of memories that I do have. Most of the predators that molested me were actually relatives of my day care providers.
I feel that if a better job of screening was done by my parents this may have been prevented... or maybe not so many..... I don’t tell you this for sympathy, I tell you this because I feel I have some experiences that may help others relate to me, to be able to open up to me and who may be able to rely on me to help them. I don’t know all of the statistics (as of yet) but I do know that sexual abuse is high in children who are in the foster system.
Not only do I have experience with being a victim of sexual abuse but I also have lots of history with drug and alcohol abuse, not with myself but with family members. My Dad always had a problem with drugs and alcohol; from as far back as I can remember. And you know the statistics of a girl that then dates guys just like her father... Yep that was me! So yes I found myself dating guys who had alcohol and drug problems. I never once got in a relationship knowing they had current issues, one time I knew he was in recovery and the 2nd I was completely blind sided by the fact that he was a drug user.... I was young when I 1st started dating them.... I still had a lot to learn but believe me when I say I learned very fast that this was not the path I wanted to follow.
I was also a child who grew up fast; at the age of 7 I started raising my 3 younger sisters and brother. My brother 6 months of age who was the youngest of my siblings I cooked, I cleaned and I made sure they were taken care of. My brother actually called me mom; I am who he knew as a caregiver to him. Again I am not telling you all this for pity I only tell you this so you can have a better understanding of why I have such a passion to help other children who may have been in similar situations.
I strongly believe that children can excel, if they feel loved and or have proper guidance. I want to be that guidance for those who need it. I feel I have so much to give and that I have an abundance amount of empathy without being sympathetic. I refuse to be an enabler but I will support good behavior and lead them in the right direction when ever they want it. I so look forward to beating the statistics and being a safe home and being a supportive family for children I would be so blessed to have in our home!
RSS Feed
