Jonno White
Jun 7, 202330 min
1. “If you can help a child, you don’t have to spend years repairing an adult. ” — Joyce Meyer
2. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” - Nelson Mandela
3. “Adoption is a lifelong journey. It means different things to me at different times. Sometimes it is just a part of who I am. Other times it is something I am actively going through.”
4. “To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there. ” — Barbara Bush
5. “I have four children. Two are adopted. I forget which two. ” — Bob Constantine
6. “Making a human always takes the same three ingredients—an egg cell, a sperm cell, and a uterus. But just how the ingredients come
7. With Hope by Steven Curtis Chapman
8. What is the visitation schedule? (if any)
9. “If you can help a child, you don’t have to spend years repairing an adult.” – Joyce Meyer
10. “We need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond.
11. “If there’s a cause worth fighting for, it’s this: children belong in families.” - Nicole Skellenger
12. Ave Maria by Beyoncé
13. “Just as it was in Kempe’s time, the rate of removals today has less to do with the literal rate of physical abuse or neglect and more to do with a fickle public intermittently enraged by what they hear on the news. When kids die at the hands of their parents, headlines put child protection agencies under intense and sudden scrutiny. Investigators increase their removals, hoping to avoid another high-profile fatality.”
14. “There has long been an iron rule in American social welfare policy: conditions must be worse for the dependent poor than for anyone who works. The seldom-acknowledged corollary is that the subsidized care of other people's children must be undesirable enough, or scarce enough, to play a role in this system of deterrence. In the late nineteenth century, charity reformer Josephine Shaw Lowell expressed this view when she insisted that the "honest laborer" should not see the children of the drunkard "enjoy advantages which his own may not hope for.”
15. WHAT IS LIFE ABOUT
16. “Helping a child today will help prevent a broken adult tomorrow.”
17. Hug Him Once for Me by Erica McClure
18. “Can I play with the dolls now please Nan?” Caroline asked gently. “Yes with pleasure” nan replied. Caroline sat still for five minutes a little bit closer to our group playing cards and then gingerly said “where is it Nan?” As she clutched the one doll she’d been allowed to play with. “Where’s what?” Nan asked sighing like she'd been stopped mid way to picking up fifty pounds. “The pleasure?” Caroline replied innocently unaware of what it was she was saying.
19. "A random thing that did bother me- we did not have fertility issues, we just wanted to adopt kids who already needed a home instead of creating more children, but for some reason our caseworker insisted on putting in the home study that we “had tried to have children for years”. I guess she didn’t approve of our reasoning? I don’t know."
20. “Encourage and support your kids because children are apt to live up to what you believe of them. ” — Lady Bird Johnson
21. “What makes a family is neither the absence of tragedy nor the ability to hide from misfortune, but the courage to overcome it and, from that broken past, write a new beginning. ”― Steve Pemberton
22. Stars by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
23. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. ” – Mother Teresa
24. “You might be temporary in their lives; they might be temporary in yours. But there is nothing temporary about the love or the lesson.” - Tonia Christle.
25. And what, for instance, would have happened had Romeo and Juliet lived to middle age, their silhouettes broadened by pasta? - Author: Anita Loos
26. “Love makes a family.” -Anonymous
27. “I don’t know what I would have done if they had hugged me. I probably would have frozen in place, become stiff. It took most of my life to overcome my distaste for physical contact and not to stiffen when I was touched, or flinch, twitch, fidget, and eventually figure out how to move away. I learned to accept being hugged by my children when they were infants. Their joy at seeing me enter a room was real and filled with true love and affection and it showed in their embraces. Like a convert, when I learned the joy and comfort of being hugged by and hugging those I loved, I became a regular practitioner.”
28. Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
29. “Family is not defined by our genes; it is built and maintained through love. ” — Unknown
30. Dancing in the Sky by Dani and Lizzy
31. “Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. ” – George Bernard Shaw
32. If I Die Young by The Band Perry
33. Siblings?
34. “There are no unwanted children. Just unfound families.” -Anonymous
35. “Many children in the foster care system are often in the midst of a family challenge. ” ― Michele Bachmann
36. “There is no better gift to give a child than a family.” -Anonymous
37. Did Mr. Poe write as a boy?
38. Find Support
39. Practice Self-Care
40. “To this day I'll never know whether he planned to off me or was just getting a huge rise out of taking me back to where he killed my mother.
41. “In this faded world, Lyric was light through a prism. All that invisible joy and curiosity met a dash of sunshine, and then she was there, in all her color.”
42. “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” – James Baldwin
43. BE THE CHANGE
44. Placed at newborn and 18 months old. No visitation until this past year due to federal incarceration. They have been raised in our home with our family I am momma. 3-4 weeks is all the time we have left with us………. . I am expected to love these children as my own for over 4 years and then all of sudden just be ok when they leave. On top of that, let’s throw in a caseworker and supervisor that do not show one ounce of empathy toward our family. We are nothing more than a babysitter and a nuisance if we should speak up. To say I am sad is an understatement. I am devastated and quite honestly, don’t know what to do
45. “Thus bound together, they sheltered the child from the cold, dark night, enveloping him in warmth. ” ― Seth Adam Smith
46. “Sometimes our work as caregivers is not for the faint of heart. But, you will never know what you are made of until you step into the fire. Step bravely!” ― Deborah A. Beasley
47. “Saved me huge amount of time and money in having to go shopping for our little man.”
48. “What makes you a man is not the ability to make a child; it’s the courage to raise one.” - Barack Obama
49. Any medical/emotional/mental conditions?
50. “For a child to arrive with a crisis case makes it so much easier the first night because the child can have a bath and put on fresh new pjs then the next day we can concentrate on going through the boxes of clothes in the garage and finding them clothes to wear. In the 14 years as a carer it is very rare for a child to arrive with anything. A crisis case make the settling in process a bit easier.”
51. “I am a struggling writer. A middle-aged man with two little kids and I’m just trying to earn a living. So buy this book – or my kids will have to go to foster care. ” ― Christopher Darden
52. “The CAS sent me to a therapist. He actually wasn’t half bad at first—real young, kinda cute, a bit stuck up with degrees in fancy IKEA frames all over his concrete walls and new-agey music playing. I mean, what kind of therapist has background music? Like was he going to massage my feet too? No doubt, he was making good money, though. To be honest, if he had made a move on me, I might have been okay with it.”
53. “Being adopted felt like reading a book that had the first chapter ripped out. You might be enjoying the plot and the characters, but you’d probably also like to read that first line, too. ” ― Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care
54. “A child born to another woman calls me mom. The depth of the tragedy and the magnitude of the privilege is not lost on me. ” — Jody Landers
55. “But I shake my head when those in the adoption community who have been hurt by adoption tell infertiles that they should adopt from Foster Care instead. ”
56. In fact, when I read your blog, I find that you are well spoken and put forward your thoughts clearly. I have learnt from you as I have learnt from others
57. I Will Carry You (Audrey’s Song) by Selah
58. “Receiving a child in the middle of the night with a case and new pyjama’s & clothes for the next day is amazing for us & the child. While child needed to be checked over for injuries, they didn’t even notice as they snuggled up into new pyjamas. As carers we really appreciate the support of A Better Life for Foster Kids & all who help us along the way. Some may think it’s only a little thing but it sure makes a big difference.”
59. “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. ” ― Richard Bach
60. “Children need models rather than critics. ” — Joseph Joubert
61. “Foster care adoption also might be a good fit for them if they want to adopt a young child or sibling group and can accept that the first placement with them might not be theirs to keep, but that the would have done a great service to that child by providing a soft landing for a short time. ”
62. “Then I remember social workers don't care.”
63. “a general rule kids only make it to these lists if they are harder to place, so depending on what you are open to that might not be the best option”
64. “An aware parent loves all children he or she interacts with – for you are a caretaker for those moments in time.” – Doc Childre
65. “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. ” ― James Baldwin
66. “Every kid is ONE caring adult away
67. I'll See You Again by Westlife
68. “Here we go. The Harlequin moment when mother and child meet for the first time in twenty years. Spare me the drama, please. I had enough of that in the foster homes they dumped me in.”
69. I have a problem with that silver medal. It's like, 'Congratulation s, you almost won. Of all the losers, you're the number one loser. No one lost ahead of you. - Author: Jerry Seinfeld
70. “Never underestimate how much you can love someone and how it can change their life. Never forget that the hardest ones to love are the ones that need it most.”
71. “You obviously have issues with adoption as a family building option (I would dare to say that you have issues period, but that’s just me) and you are entitled to never have to choose such ways to build your families because you have the luxury and privilege of being blessed with reproductive systems that work just fine. Well, pin a rose on your noses, ladies”
72. “Every child you encounter is a divine appointment. ” — Wess Stafford
73. Baby of Mine by Allison Kraus
74. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
75. “Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life. ” — J. K. Rowling
76. “I saw three more bottles in the fridge the morning our first foster baby was taken from our home and reunited with her mom,” Hutton says. “I can honestly say I think we captured the full range of emotion in this one.”
77. “...it takes a special person to be a great foster parent, someone who realizes that the child he or she is receiving isn't perfect and probably is carrying a lot of heavy emotional baggage and bad habits. But that understanding and acceptance are essential if foster parents truly hope to bring any sense of normalcy to the child living with them in their home. The rest is all uphill from there.”
78. Angel by Sarah McLachlan
79. “Providing respite care to a foster family, just to give them a break, that can mean everything. ” — Milly, foster parent
80. “Children born to another woman call me ‘mom’. The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me. ” — Jody Landers
81. “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you. ” — H. Jackson Brown Jr
82. “However, in our childfilled society that outcasts childless and the ChildFree it makes it impossible to fit in anywhere in society. We are looked down upon as selfish self centered people. We are excluded from social circles. We are left w/out family as we age leaving us in a lonely place. We are expanded to carry the bulk of the workload in the workplace with those with children having no respect for our lives outside of work. Until those issues are addressed don’t expect the drive to have children from the childless to change.â€
83. THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE
84. My Name by George Canyon
85. “Life is beautiful. It’s about giving. It’s about family. ” — Walt Disney
86. A CAUSE WORTH FIGHTING FOR
87. SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
88. “Being adopted felt like reading a book that had the first chapter ripped out. You might be enjoying the plot and the characters, but you'd probably also like to read that first line, too. However, when you took the book back to the store to say that the first chapter was missing, they told you they couldn't sell you a replacement copy that was intact. What if you read that first chapter and realized you hated the book, and posted a nasty review on Amazon? What if you hurt the author's feelings? Better just to stick with your partial copy and enjoy the rest of the story.”
89. “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” -Mahatma Gandhi
90. “I’m now understanding that I come from a rich cultural background and I need to embrace it and share with other people and other youth that are American Indian, that are my tribe, that it’s OK to be Native. ” — Daryl Conquering Bear, former foster child
91. Blessings by Laura Story
92. “Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero.” - Fred Rogers
93. “So set your goals, know your worth, and hold on to the people who care about you. Those people can be your foundation when your life is shaky. They can be role models when you aren't sure how to act. They can be the family you choose when you miss the family you lost.”
94. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer or whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation
95. PERMANENCE OF LOVE
96. Love and sex, honey. Either one can make you do the damndest things. The two combined will make you a sure 'nough fool. - Author: Barbara Neely
97. “Through all the trials of the foster and adoptive journey, I want you to know that the calling you’ve received to care for vulnerable children is valid. And it is beautiful. ” ― Mike Berry
98. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children. ” — Nelson Mandela
99. “The atmosphere inside was terrible. Brenda stared into the distance whenever I was around her and hardly spoke to me.
100. “Having new clean clothes always made them walk taller.”
101. “Watching her with the other children, it struck Helen once again that there was something that still set the girl apart, something just out of reach. Lyric was remarkable. A breathtaking horizon and endless ocean, deep and mysterious. No matter how well Helen got to know her, she always felt as though she never truly would.”
102. Still by Gerrit Hofsink
103. com, Inc. or its affiliates
104. “Every child deserves a champion — an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be.” – Rita F. Pierson
105. “Many foster children have had difficulty making the transition to independent living. Several are homeless, become single parents, commit crimes, or live in poverty. They are also frequent targets of crime. ” — Charles Bass
106. -We then spent the better part of two years watching the mother do none of her services and rarely show up to court on time. It was a tragedy. I will give CPS this- they did EVERYTHING they could to give their biological parent chances. She got so many extensions and second chances it was bordering on comical. She was even given three different state appointed attorneys because she didn’t get along with them. A couple of people on these comments feel that children are being stolen. I went to a lot of hearings, and had to listen to a lot of other cases while waiting for our hearings, and that simply isn’t my experience at all. I saw two kids being handed back to a mother who had participated in pimping out her daughter, for example, because the woman went to counseling and passed some drug tests (her service plan), just for example. I am sure that CPS, like any collection of humans, makes mistakes, and we should certainly minimize those, but I don’t think it is some villainous organization stealing children. I also understand, and respect, that their first goal is family reunification. They should err on the side of the bio family, and that has been my experience with them.
107. “He sounds so tired. "I know if there was any choice at all, they wouldn't have left me alone. They would have made sure I was taken care of."
108. “You were born with the ability to change someone’s life. Don’t ever waste it.” -Anonymous
109. “Despite the heartache, frustration, and physical demands of being a foster parent, I have never regretted doing it and the intangible rewards outweigh the cost every day. ” — Wray Rives, foster parent
110. The only voice of dissent you have to dispel is your own. - Author: Anker Frankoni
111. Beautiful Boy by John Lennon
112. FOSTER PARENTS ARE HEROES
113. “What if so many in society are wrong about foster parents?”
114. Violence stops thought. Hence its popularity as a pain-killer. - Author: Mason Cooley
115. “If You Want to Be a Parent, Don’t Adopt from Foster Care”!?!
116. “Life is beautiful. It’s about giving. It’s about family.” - Walt Disney
117. I firmly believe it is by sharing such stupid moments as these that we grow into someone other than who we used to be, and I was already feeling an inch taller. - Author: Alan Bradley
118. Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne
119. “Everyone longs to be loved. And the greatest thing we can do is to let people know that they are loved and capable of loving. ” — Fred Rogers
120. “Families don’t have to match. You don’t have to look like someone else to love them.” -Leigh Anne Tuohy
121. FROM AN ADOPTIVE PARENT
122. “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you.” -H. Jackson Brown Jr.
123. “At the end of the day, I know that I’ve helped a kid who might otherwise be doing God knows what. I know they are safe, and warm, and they have food. It’s one less teenage girl out there. ” — Liliana, foster parent
124. “Families don’t have to match. You don’t have to look like someone else to love them. ” — Leigh Anne Tuohy
125. WHAT MAKES A PARENT
126. “Why hold on to someone when you know you have to let them go?” -A Foster Child
127. “Helping a child today will help prevent a broken adult tomorrow. ” ― Kathleen Paydo
128. “The entire fucking point of being born is that someone is supposed to take care of you.”
129. “Destiny is not always preordained. Life is about making choices. Our lives are the sum of all the choices we make, the bridges we cross, and the ones we burn. Our souls cast long shadows over many people, even after we are gone. Fate, luck, and providence are the consequence of our freedom of choice, not the determinants. When justice is served by following our principles, making good decisions brings us inner peace.”
130. Baby Blue by Dave Matthews Band
131. “Kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters.” - Amy Leigh Mercree
132. “Unconditional love is not based on the performance of the receiver, but on the character of the giver. ” — Jack Frost
133. I Miss You by Beyoncé
134. “I hit him for every single thing that was wrong in my life and kicked him in a fierce fury of madness as he sobbed and covered his face and screamed. I hit him because Walter hit me and I hit him because I hated my life and I hit him because I just wanted to go home and I hit him because I didn’t know where home was.”
135. “Little souls find their way to you, whether they’re from your womb or someone else’s. ” — Sheryl Crow
136. “Instead of growing in my belly, they grew in my heart.” -Anonymous
137. “Those saying not to foster to adopt may have quite awhile to wait for an adoptable child. ”
138. YOU CAN DO IT
139. Who You’d Be Today by Kenney Chesney
140. “Sister, why do you do that?"
141. “I don’t believe it’s fair to the child for their Foster Parents who essentially are legalized babysitters to have the expectation that they are or will become the child’s parents”
142. Lullaby by The Chicks
143. “I may not have carried you for 9 months but I will spend the rest of my life loving you, protecting you, and doing whatever I need to make you happy.” -Anonymous
144. “As foster parents, we are asked to not only care for the basic needs of a child but also sit alongside them as they digest the hurt and damage they have undeservingly experienced. ” — Carrie Dahlin
145. “I am not afraid to grieve. I am afraid of what will happen to these children if no one took the risk to love them. ” — Unknown
146. Home by Phillip Phillips
147. “And CB-for someone who claims to be so at peace with your “choice†of a childfree life, you are very quick to take offense when someone like Greg dares to describe the true plight of those of us with IF as anything less than sunshine and rainbows. Could it be that you have unresolved issues surrounding your childfree “status†that you have yet to deal with?”
148. “Adoption is a lifelong journey. It means different things to me at different times. Sometimes it is just a part of who I am. Other times it is something I am actively going through. ” ― Kelly DiBenedetto
149. “We consider one child at a time,” a social worker tells Sentilles when she asks whether this earlier termination matters. When Sentilles inquires about the safety of sending Coco back to her mother, the social worker says, “I wouldn’t trust her to take care of my dog for an hour” — but then acknowledges, “That’s not the rubric.” And during foster parent training, Sentilles is advised not to comfort children by telling them “you’ll keep them safe.” The trainer explains: “You should never tell them that. It’s a promise you can’t keep.”
150. Smallest Wingless by Craig Cardiff
151. I Will Follow You into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie
152. “Because you know that they have a culture. They have a family. They're meant to be together. There is a true bond when it comes to having an actual family member be there for that child and understand the story that they came from. ” — Sara Cunningham, foster parent
153. These Three Words by Stevie Wonder
154. “Once we were inside the walls of Rahway Prison the mood changed. We were patted down for weapons and given a tour. They showed us how to make improvised weapons that people would hide in their ass. The guards pointed out the young guys who had become someone’s bitch.”
155. WHAT IS FOSTERING ABOUT
156. “We were always driven by a gray-haired man in the foster-care agency car. I remember leaving that abusive home, pulling out of the driveway, and seeing sumo Mr. Sanchez’s ice cream truck. He would take us with him when he worked but never gave us any ice cream. Oh, the cruelty! I would have taken real a beating for some ice cream.”
157. “As an adoptive parent myself of foster children, I have seen firsthand the glaring problems of the system currently facing this Nation. ” — Dennis Cardoza
158. “This is for the kids who know that the worst kind of fear isn’t the thing that makes you scream, but the one that steals your voice and keeps you silent. ” ― Abby Norman
159. “Fostering is not about us. It never was and never will be. Foster care is about serving, loving on others, and being the one constant in a child’s life when they are going through a really hard time. ” — Jeremy Garman
160. WE ARE ALL PARENTS
161. “She had thought it would be easy from there. It wasn’t. It was simple, but not easy. There was joy, but terror, too, as though stepping back from a ship’s helm and letting the journey go. It sounded romantic enough until being dashed to pieces against the rocks. It was the loveliest tiny moments that would drench Helen in happiness, like when Lyric was nestled in the crook of her arm, resisting falling asleep. Helen had brushed a finger down the child’s nose. Her drowsy eyes had fluttered yet followed Helen’s finger, going cross-eyed just as Helen reached the nose tip. For a moment, the joy and love saturated everything.”
162. “In the midst of your weakness and the wake of your struggle, ‘success’ as a foster or adoptive parent isn’t measured by your capacity to keep everything in order but by your ability to trust that even in the chaos Jesus is beautiful—and that even in the mess, so is what you’re doing for these kids. ” — Jason Johnson
163. “Who on here has told you that all people suffering from IF should adopt from FC – I certainly haven’t. In fact, I totally agree with you that you are not a suitable candidate for FC adoption.”
164. “Despite the best of efforts, many foster children are neither reunited with their families nor adopted. ” — Charles Bass
165. Small Bump by Ed Sheeran
166. Left love behind many years ago. Now it rests under a cross in the cemetery in Tombstone. - Author: Franco Nero
167. “I did not have to stress or shop with a young person who had just been through one of the hardest times in their lives.”
168. “Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven. ” — Henry Ward Beecher
169. “I always questioned whether I was ready to adopt. Then I realized, no child was ready to be an orphan. ” — Unknown
170. “Fostering is not about us. It never was and never will be. Foster care is about serving, loving on others, and being the one constant in a child’s life when they are going through a really hard time.” - Jeremy Garman
171. “She peered at the small girl and though it seemed the child wasn’t listening, her grip on Helen loosened, leaving her feeling like a balloon about to soar away, frantic not to be lost into the open sky.
172. “They’re your children. Of course you love them unconditionally, but you don’t realize how much they mean to you until they’re gone. That was the roughest six months of my life. ” — The Daniels family, who worked toward reunification after their children were placed in foster care
173. “There’s nothing more important in this world than caring for a child. ” ― Seth Adam Smith
174. ”Every child you encounter is a divine appointment.” - Wess Stafford
175. “Axel’s eyes are hazelnut and shift with the light and his mood. It makes him seem elusive and slippery, almost complicated. He’s not. He just has to be fed, kept busy, and reminded to wipe himself.”
176. FOSTER CHILDREN ARE IMPORTANT
177. “There is no single formula. This is not easy. But, you’re not alone. If you have the capacity to do it, there is nothing more important. ” — Adam, an LGBT foster parent
178. “The most important element of the foster care system is getting kids out of foster care and into a permanent placement so they don’t have to spend their entire childhoods in courtrooms, wondering if they will ever have a place to call home.”
179. “You can do whatever you choose Tracie” she said staring through the kitchen window. It kind of reminded me of my first memory of mum. I was shocked she sounded like she really didn’t care. She wasn’t even fake caring any more she just plain didn’t give a shit.
180. IMPORTANCE OF BELIEF
181. “When we began this journey, I was quite eager to adopt and “complete” our family. However, nothing is ever certain, or done in a timely manner in foster care. Find joy in the moments you have together. Enjoy the journey. We may never “complete” our family, but we will have helped some sweet souls along the way. ” — Crystal Garman
182. “I don’t believe those people coming from infertility are necessarily the best fit to pursue adoption from Foster Care.”
183. “An aware parent loves all children he or she interacts with—for you are a caretaker for those moments in time. ” — Doc Childre
184. “Perhaps I am a dark, unpleasant creature. But I am my own creature. I am mine, my feet on the earth and the water in my soul and fire in my heart. And when all is taken from me I will still have my anger and my pain and they will feed me.”
185. "Overall, I know we got lucky. We ended up adopting the kids from our first placement and never had any serious issues. They are smart, healthy, affectionate, and we are lucky to be their parents. However, it was challenging, and, at times, we had to have the mindset of the temporary home, and then only later the permanent one. My suggestion to whoever considers this process is just to be open to altering your mindset to fit the needs of the kids."
186. “We have the opportunity to pour into them what they were created to be; and pullout the treasure that they cannot yet see. ” ― Momma Moon
187. “We've both changed. We're tired of having the world push us into places we don't want to be. We're both scared of losing love that maybe we never had to being with. We can have whatever we want in our lives. It's only a matter of deciding. But we don't have to do it alone. We have each other.”
188. ” This is as it should be because we know that if parents can be helped to become functioning (not perfect) parents, that is the best for the children.”
189. “I came to this house for safety. They came because the foster care system ran out of homes. We stayed because we were stray pieces of other puzzles, tired of never fitting. ” ― Katie McGarry
190. “Making a human always takes the same three ingredients—an egg cell, a sperm cell, and a uterus. But just how the ingredients come together is a fascinating tale. Sometimes the ingredients that created us come from the same people who are raising us. Other times, we don’t share genetics with the people responsible for our care, such as when we are raised by stepparents, adoptive parents, or foster parents. This is also often true when donors and surrogates are involved.”
191. “With every word we utter, with every action we take, we know our kids are watching us. We as parents are their most important role models. ” — Michelle Obama
192. -When the rights did get terminated, we had to switch mindsets again, and fast. Literally one day the guardian ad litem showed up and asked us if we were willing to adopt them- this was before rights were terminated, but when CPS was going to switch their goals. I paused for just a half second at the question, and she judged me a bit. She told me I should have been more certain, but I had not considered it as a permanent placement until that moment. I did feel I owed it to them (my kids) to love them, but try to reunite them until it became clear their parent wasn’t going to step up. My wife and I did take them, and our kids are wonderful, and blameless in this whole process (we did not have the horror stories, just an adjustment period when the kids arrived and we had to learn, as new parents, how to provide structure).
193. “We're just different, that's all. That's all a freak is. someone who's different."
194. Mona was half ninja, half gunslinger, popping off charge after charge into the blue creatures. - Author: Eoin Colfer
195. “I always questioned whether I was ready to adopt. Then I realized no child was ready to be an orphan.” – Unknown.
196. Always" is a good word to believe in. - Author: Susan Abulhawa
197. “Every child deserves a champion — an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be. ” — Rita F. Pierson
198. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me
199. “We need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my problem. ’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes. ” — Fred Rogers
200. “A child born to another woman calls me mom. The depth of the tragedy and the magnitude of the privilege are not lost on me.” -Jody Landers
201. “Sometimes our work as caregivers is not for the faint of heart. But, you will never know what you are made of until you step into the fire. Step bravely!” — Deborah A. Beasley
202. A Visitor from Heaven by Twila Paris
203. IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
204. Elizabeth, You Were Born to Play by Ryan Adams
205. “Everyone picked on me in school because I was in foster care. ” ― Dave Pelzer
206. I see my beauty in you. - Author: Jalaluddin Rumi
207. “Macclesfield was like a wound I couldn't stop picking. I didn't know if I'd ever heal or if my constant pulling at the scab would leave me open to infection but I did know I had to keep doing it. I had to find out what lay beneath each layer of skin even if it meant that I felt more and more pain. It could have been another form of self harm or it could have been a part of my journey I just had to make.
208. Keep In Touch
209. “I believe that any woman who takes on the role of a mother, whether it be naturally or through foster care or adoption, should be held in the highest regard. ” ― Raheem DeVaughn
210. Sparrow by Emile Sandé
211. “Thanks” I said and walked towards the living room where Caroline and Rita were sat. Rita got up and walked past me to go to bed. “What’s going on?” I said to Caroline. “We didn’t know where you were” she said shaking her head at me. Did nobody get it?”
212. “The love of a foster mother for her charge appears absolutely irrational. ” ― Winston Churchill
213. “We worked together, rather than against one another, in the interest of putting their family back together again. ” — Paul Cortez, foster parent
214. I think I was first choice for the part. I don't know - that's what they always tell you anyway. I didn't have to do any audition for the part. Sam saw me in Dinner and the whole thing slipped into place. - Author: Louise Jameson
215. Gone Too Soon by Daughtry
216. We have come to discover what we suspect is a new political mindset emerging among a younger generation of political leaders socialized on Internet communications. Their politics are less about right versus left and more about centralized and authoritarian versus distributed and collaborative. - Author: Jeremy Rifkin
217. -We had an overall okay experience with CPS, but did get mislead initially. We were called about a boy and girl, siblings that had been removed multiple times and were told the parental rights were terminated. We told them to bring the kids, and, upon arriving, we found out that the rights were not terminated. So, we had to make a shift in our mindset really quick, because the kids were right there (and very sweet, adorable ones at that). We took them in, knowing that the CPS goal was reunification.
218. “Children are like wet cement whatever falls on them makes an impression. ” — Haim Ginott,
219. “Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.” - Josh Shipp
220. “Too many children in foster care are falling through cracks. Be a hero, take the time learn about adoption today. ” ― Bruce Willis
221. “Somehow, destiny comes into play. These children end up with you, and you end up with them. It’s something quite magical.” - Nicole Kidman
222. “Fostering takes time, but love arrives instantly. ” — Unknown
223. “Children born to another woman call me ‘mom.’ The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me.” - Jody Landers
224. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. ” — Mark Twain
225. ARE YOU READY?
226. “Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story. ” — Josh Shipp
227. “Sometimes, our work as caregivers is not for the faint of heart. But you will never know what you are made of until you step into the fire. Step bravely!” - Deborah A. Beasley
228. THE STORY CHANGES
229. “A person’s a person, no matter how small. ” — Dr. Seuss
230. “We do not need to know the beginning of a child’s story to change the ending.”- Fi Newood
231. Any medical/mental issues with the mother?
232. You don't have any problem with reality. You face it head on and tackle that bitch to the ground. - Author: Sylvia Day
233. “Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.” - Lady Bird Johnson
234. Somewhere Over the Rainbow & What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole
235. “We live in a world in we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” -Fred Rogers
236. “Love, feelings, all that mushy stuff—if it was ever real, it never goes away.”
237. “The danger was not gone—Helen knew that. Each day spent together, the existence of this tiny charge was in her hands. It suddenly seemed the most perplexing fact of life—it was up to flawed, bruised, broken adults to bring up angels. Helen wanted to offer the child a place of safety, but no matter where Lyric went, that could not be found. Not for sure. If she stayed, they would each risk hurt, loss, and suffering.
238. HELP A FOSTER CHILD'S SUCCESS
239. “Parenthood requires love, not DNA.” -Anonymous
240. “You may be in our home for a season but you’ll be in our hearts forever. ” — Unknown
241. “I was talking to a guy from 60 Minutes and he asked me ‘Why do parents deserve an extra chance?’ The truth is we don't. We've messed up many, many times. The person that deserves another chance is my son, the chance to be raised by his father. ” — Jason Bragg, a father whose child was in foster care before reunification
242. “You have an opportunity not only to help a kiddo be successful long-term, but you have the potential to help restore a family. ” — Jay Priebe. A former foster child and previous CEO of foster care support organization, Hand in Hand
243. Sweet Baby James by James Taylor
244. “Most people don’t understand how mighty the power of touch is, how mighty a kind word can be, how important a listening ear is, or how giving an honest compliment can move the child who has not known those things, only watched them from afar. As insignificant as they can be, they have the power to change a life.”
245. “I believe the best service to the child is the service closest to the child, and children who are victims of neglect, abuse, or abandonment must not also be victims of bureaucracy. They deserve our devoted attention, not our divided attention. ” ― Kenny Guinn
246. -We chose to adopt from foster care because we felt like it was the ethical way to go about it, not because of fertility. We knew there were a lot of children who age out of the system, and having our own biological kids when that case felt selfish to us (Not judging people having bio-kids). We started with the mindset of adoption, and only wanted legally free placements (parental rights already terminated) and kids over the age of 4. I don’t think there is anything wrong about that adoption mindset. However, I would say anyone in this process will probably have to reset their mindset about what ‘they’ want a couple of times as they go through the process.
247. “It’s exciting for the child to actually own some things immediately on placement, making them very very wanted.”
248. “Took the stress out of the initial placements.”
249. “Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them. ” — Lady Bird Johnson
250. “You might be temporary in their lives, they might be temporary in yours. But there is nothing temporary about the love or the lesson. ” — Tonia Christle
251. “Fostering or adopting a child is a long and painful process… but so is childbirth. ” — Unknown
252. “Parenthood requires love, not DNA. ” — Unknown
253. “Hundreds of thousands of kids now have a chance to be adopted because I worked to change our adoption and foster care system. ” ― Hillary Clinton
254. “Family is the most important thing in the world. ” – Princess Diana
255. I said no. It turned out if I did not take them, they were going to be split up! I just felt like it was such a sin and that they should not have to suffer anymore then they already had. So, I said yes. I have had them a year and half this month and I am so happy I decided to continue. Please know, this is not the answer for everyone and I completely understand why it is too hard to put yourself through this. I just remembered someone telling me that you will know if you can do this work after you suffer your first loss
256. Make Memories Together
257. “I love that we took Kyle’s unbelievably intimate story of caring for a foster infant, and flipped it so it sounds like a stone-cold country song,” Foster adds. “It blindsides you when you realize what it’s about.”
258. “Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be.” – Rita F. Pierson
259. BE THE CHAMPION
260. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa
261. “In some instances, even when crisis intervention has been intensive and appropriate, the mother and daughter are already so deeply estranged at the time of disclosure that the bond between them seems irreparable. In this situation, no useful purpose is served by trying to separate the mother and father and keep the daughter at home. The daughter has already been emotionally expelled from her family; removing her to protective custody is simply the concrete expression of the family reality.
262. “We should not be asking who this child belongs to, but who belongs to this child. ” ― James L
263. “If you can help a child, you don’t have to spend years repairing and adult.” -Anonymous
264. “Kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters. ” — Amy Leigh Mercree
265. “What makes a family is neither the absence of tragedy nor the ability to hide from misfortune, but the courage to overcome it and, from that broken past, write a new beginning.”
266. “The things that come naturally to me are getting by (yes, that’s debatable), getting out when the shit’s hitting the fan, and getting the first punch in (unless I’ve been suckered). I’m good at those. References are available if you don’t believe me.”
267. “People say ‘he’s so lucky to have you.’ The truth is I’m so lucky to have him.” -Anonymous
268. BEING A FOSTER MOM
269. “Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home. ” — Anthony Liccione
270. I'll Be Missing You by Faith Evans and Puff Daddy
271. “We must not allow this generation to produce record numbers for the juvenile justice, runaway and homeless youth, or foster care systems. ” ― Ruben Hinojosa
272. “Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero. ” — Fred Rogers
273. “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ” ― Desmond Tutu
274. “An aware parent loves all children he or she interacts with — for you are a caretaker for those moments in time.” – Doc Childre
275. “More mental health, substance abuse treatment, support, and services are needed so birthparents can have access to the treatment services…
276. LET'S CHANGE SOCIETY
277. It's not about slaying monsters," he told her. Not these days. I think it's about learning to live with them. Anyway who says we're the good guys? "I - Author: Robert Dunbar
278. “Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life.” - J.K. Rowling
There you go! It's a difficult time when you lose a foster child to the biological parents. But that little girl or little boy will be thankful in future for the foster home you created.
It's hard when the birth parents or other family members aren't pulling their weight with their biological child. Or even worse, if there's some level of child abuse happening. The loss of a child who you've been looking after in your loving family is hard.
That's why I've put together my favorite foster care quotes: whether you've been caring for a little one in their first year or a young person in high school. The first thing to remember is how much of a difference you're making to that child. You are a precious part of the child welfare system.
Foster families like you help in so many different ways. With a baby girl or with young adults who need somewhere to sleep at the last minute. You are a safe refuge.