May is Foster Care Awareness Month
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May is Foster care Awareness Month. Did you know that in Wisconsin, there is a child taken into foster care once every two hours. There are about 5,400 children in the system in Wisconsin alone right now. That means two hours from now, another child's life is being turned upside down.
My son's life was turned upside down when he was 2 years old. He was removed from the only mom he had known. Was it the right thing for him at the time? Yes, it was. Did he understand that? Probably not. I am sure he was terrified and did not know what was going on. It breaks my heart to think about it. My son was in a temporary foster home until he was placed with me, which eventually, became his forever home.
Yesterday, all over Wisconsin, there were flash mobs of people doing handstands. Why a handstand? To show that you can turn a life around. Each child has a chance at having their life turned around...that is IF someone is there to help them. We need more good, loving foster parents. Want to help support Adoption Resources of Wisconsin ? http://fox6now.com/2012/05/01/handstand-flash-mob-to-promote-foster-care-awareness
Have you thought about doing foster care? Don't know where to begin?
Here..this is where you begin! http://fosterparentsrock.org/
JustMe
8:34 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Are you "raising awareness"?
Alfred Kell
2:18 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
It simply is not prudent to encourage more single parent households, facts are well known on the outcomes.
Melissa P.
8:58 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012
I hope I am.
Alfred
1:05 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
Are you married? Do you think that promoting single parenthood is a good thing?
fostermimi
1:34 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
Only if we lived in an ideal world... there would be no kids in foster care! Love and trust from one is better than none.
Randy1949
1:36 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
@Alfred -- Do you think it's better to have one parent or no parents?
Melissa P.
1:06 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
I am promoting foster care awareness...not being married or single. My marital status has nothing to do with it!
Dirk Diggler
1:35 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Your marital status has a lot to do with it, I could post study after study showing the dysfunctional children of one parent households...its just too much work for one person.
Melissa P.
1:51 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
@Dirk-This post has nothing to do with me being a single mom. He was born to a single mom who was a baby herself. She was in a cycle of poverty stricken, crime ridden lifestyle. She ended up in foster care herself. In my home, he has a stable life, he is very well taken care of and is getting a good education.
I appreciate your concern for the amount of work I do in raising my child, but I have this covered. Keep telling me I can't. It will just make me more determined to show you.
This child is a blessing from God and chances are...he would not be adopted by now as there are not enough foster homes...single parent, gay parents, or married parents...not enough foster homes PERIOD to go around.
In the REAL world, it is not possible for only married couples to adopt or do foster care.
"Over 5,100 foster homes across the state care for almost 8,000 foster children each year. There is an ongoing need for foster parents, " http://dcf.wisconsin.gov/children/foster/
May is Foster care awareness month...make yourself aware.
Jerri Lynn
1:21 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
@ Alfred are you making the statement that children are better off staying in the system with no parents compared to having a single parent home?
Deb
1:21 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
To Alfred...being married has nothing to do with opening your home and providing love, a bed and roof over a little one's head and the everyday things in life that most of us take for granted! And speaking of single parenthood, my husband and I both agree that there are numerous excellent single parents out there both providing foster care and not providing foster care that set better examples of parenting than many double parent homes. I think that you should be a little more open minded in your blogging and perhaps using the time to fill out a foster home application?....just a thought...enjoy your day.
HappyMommy
1:43 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
To Alfred - My mom was married to my father when they had me. He turned out to be a horribly abusive man who left us when I was 3. My mom raised me on her own, providing a loving, safe, and stable environment for me. There is no way I would have had that in my two parent household. Don't assume 2 is better than 1. I am a successful businesswoman who has been married for 7 years (we have been together for a total of 12 years). We are foster parents who have changed the lives of many kids and adopted 2 of them. So also please do not assume that a child raised by one parent cannot do great things.
Candice Haynes
1:51 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
Alfred-If I as a single parent can provide children with a roof over their head, food in their mouths, love, and stability, then I think it is much better for them to be in my single parent home than in the abusive possible two parent home they came out of. I raised my son by myself with no help and you can ask anyone, he is the most polite, well behaved, well rounded kid I know. This single parent did that. Is being a single parent always easy? No. But is there anything wrong with it? Absolutely not!!
TJ Monday
2:23 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
Do not let the chat room persona Alfred upset you. And do not use your real name, or he will look you up on CCAP or Google, but will not give us his own real name. He plays the role of the ultimate obnoxious Tea Party curmudgeon, which does not win any converts to that cause. A few short inflammatory statements, which can elicit long retorts from the original blogger or commenter, and meanwhile he is off to another board.
Beth David
11:15 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
A foster parent is a true hero that rarely gets noticed.
Melissa P.
12:37 am on Monday, May 7, 2012
I agree. I have a lot of friends that are still doing it. I am currently not as I am happy where I am right now with my son, but it is like a bug that you cannot get rid of. I know I will foster again and I am sure I will adopt again.
I have the most respect for the people that keep doing it over and over again. They fall in love with the child...knowing that they are most likely not staying. They go through the heart break over and over again...just to do something good in this mean world that hurts, and neglects children.
Dirk Diggler
1:32 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
I question whether a single parent, be it a mother or father, can raise a child better than a two parent foster parent...statistics show the problems we have with single parenthood vs two parent households, so why encourage single parenthood when the two parent foster care works just fine?
Jerri Lynn
2:11 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
I don't believe anyone is encouraging single parenthood, in an ideal world every child would have a mom and dad, but these are children that have neither and if they have to sit in care until a two parent home becomes available the majority will never have any family, also the majority of foster homes are made up of single parent homes, many of them elderly, many abusive and neglectful, fh's are not always a picture perfect setting. If you were one of these children what would your preference be? to be shuffled from place to place with no sense of belonging, to at the age of 18 be set loose into the world with no place to call home? or to at least have a mom or dad that cares and loves you, a home to go back to, someone to watch you graduate, marry and raise your own children?
Melissa P.
1:37 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
This post has nothing to do with being a single parent. I encourage everyone to become a foster parent. The need is so great. So... Dirk...step right up. There are kids that need a home. I am glad you gave your opinion (though it has nothing to do with this post), but for someone that is doing NOTHING towards the cause...get off the computer and do something about it!
Dirk Diggler
1:56 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
I am a single male and I don't believe that I would be a good adopted father without a spouse, that is all I am saying. For the record I am a college graduate with a good job.
Dirk Diggler
1:57 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
I meant to say that I think that only married folks should adopt, since the statistics prove that single parents are not equipped to do the job as well, that is all I am saying.
Melissa P.
2:02 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
I am doing a good job. Really...in all honesty...no one asked for your opinion on adoption my son. This blog was to raise the awareness for the need of good foster homes. No one asked for your judgement.
There are tons of single moms that do this every day. Regardless if the child was born to them or not. You are right...most men cannot handle being a single dad. I know a few very good ones though. It can be done. You just have to make sacrifices for your kid, but every parent SHOULD do that.
Jerri Lynn
2:11 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Melissa, sometimes it is best to ignore the elephant in the room, After all Dirk's choice of user name shows us that we are not dealing with a mature adult. Let alone one that would have any sense of the real world and what it would take to raise a healthy, stable, productive adult.
Dirk Diggler
2:58 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
I disagree, a mature adult knows his/her limitiations and is quite aware of selfish concerns(wanting a child no matter what) and doing what is best for the child(having a true nuclear family, mom and dad, to raise child). What you have here are people who put their selfish interests of wanting a child so bad over the statisitically proven two parent households raising a child. This should not be taken personally, it is simply a matter of fact.
St. Swithin
3:41 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Dirk,
You're an idiot.
This should not be taken personally. It is simply a matter of fact.
Jerri Lynn
3:44 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Dirk, Actually what you have here Is a woman that has been married 28 yrs, fostered numerous children, adopted 2 and am on our way to adopting a third. Believe me when I say that all of us are grateful that you are mature enough to know that you are incapable of raising a child. We can only pray from this day forward that you will stand strong in your beliefs and always realize your limitations.
Dirk Diggler
3:57 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Jerri Lynn I applaud your efforts and thank you for proving my point! God bless you sweetheart.
Jerri Lynn
4:09 pm on Monday, May 7, 2012
Ty Dirk for proving mine, only someone extremely uneducated and immature would use such an endearment with someone that they do not know.