Is it normal that i feel so bad for foster kids?

87% Normal
5 Comments

I know many foster kids and have seen a few foster homes and I have noticed how many charity donation drives have been set up for foster kids even though their foster parents take in between $1500-$3000 a month per child (which, in theory, should be enough to provide a child with the essentials), their homes seem horribly inadequite and foster parents often could care less for the children they are in custody of and more for the check they are getting.

Often times these foster kids are going from one bad home to the next and the psychological damage is irreperable and they are suffering for it all because the adults in their life that gave birth to them that they SHOULD have been able to trust failed them miserably. Hearing these kids' stories really made me more grateful that I lived in a home that was more stable than that.

I'm not saying all foster homes are bad, I have met some fantastic foster parents but I hear more bad stories than good.

Is it normal for me to feel bad for foster kids and for me to have contempt for the foster care system?

Voting Results
87% Normal
Based on 23 votes (20 yes)
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Comments ( 5 )
  • PumpkinKate
    11 years ago

    I think it's all very situational.

    Some people foster children so they can get a big check. That's horrible. Some have good intentions but don't follow through very well. Some are wonderful and amazing people. It's just another example of how the world isn't black and white. I feel that overall the system does need work though... because I guess I would have to agree, the balance isn't in favor of "good" outcomes yet.

    I grew up in and out of the foster care systems in both Denmark and the United States. I had a family in Denmark that put food in the refrigerator for me, and set up a cot in a guest room - and that was it. Zero interaction. I had another family there that showered me with love, attention, opportunity, and care. In the USA I was put somewhere so abusive that I ran away, and later ended up with the family that gave me the closest thing to a "Mom" I'll ever have (We still see each other weekly despite the fact I'm 27 now).

    It's all sort of... up in the air, in my experience.

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  • thinkingaboutit
    11 years ago

    I don't know. I want to be a foster parent one day when I can afford and am ready for a child.

    I know a foster kid that hopped around hundreds of homes. He's 22 now and makes 200k and is opening a business next year. He's also a hip hop music video dancer. lol.

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  • nAt2017
    11 years ago

    The problem is that, often, it's up to chance. There are good foster parents and bad ones, and whether a child ends up in one or the other is anyone's guess.

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  • Avant-Garde
    11 years ago

    I think the system randomly plops kids into these homes. Some are good while others are deplorable. I have a relative that's a foster parent with her husband and they've treated the kids like family. It all depends. I really think the gov should properly screen these potential "parents" instead of leaving things up for chance.

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  • penpal21
    11 years ago

    Some of these foster parents make Miss Hanigan look like Mary Poppins.

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