Our time with foster care was a battle and a roller coaster of ups and downs. It was a reminder to me that not everyone is meant for foster care, and that’s okay. My husband and I trained to be foster parents because of one specific child and since then, we’ve realized that maybe we’re not meant to be foster parents continuously, however, that won’t stop me from spreading the word to make sure those who are meant to be foster parents have a chance to realize this might be what they want to do.
Having a foster child reminded me that not all children are growing up in loving, caring homes. They are going through all sorts of abuse and circumstances that I would never want children to see or undergo.
It was interesting because although our foster child was only 14 months old, she had obvious signs of comprehension of the world around her previous to arriving in our home. Change, obviously, was hard for her. People changing, people coming in and out of our home was hard for her. While we wanted to be her forever parents and adopt her, she was given to another family. When we finally accepted that fact and allowed her to video chat with the new family, those hours after having to be on the video chat were always hard on her. Some of the things she did and the way she reacted made it obvious that there had been some abuse in her life. We took a short vacation (within the state) and the moment we walked into the hotel room and she took a look around, she tried to claw her way out of my arms, screamed, and cried until we were able to calm her down. Moments like these reminded me that her life had been very hard and at her young age, she was already dealing with a lot.
This short movie, “ReMoved,” gives us a look inside the mind of a child before and during their foster care experience. It shows us a bit of the trauma that they endure. It is very real and as a mother who wants to see every child treated well, wants every child to have a happy childhood, it is painful to watch. However, I still feel it essential to watch in order to understand the children’s mindsets.
Watch it below and share with those who would appreciate, understand, or need to see it.
