The Fosters: Blood Doesn’t Make a Family
Children are placed into the foster care system at any given age until the child reaches the age of 18. Once the child reaches the legal age of 18, they have aged out of the system. On an annual basis, 250,000 children are placed into the system. In America, some children are placed into the system together with siblings or separated from siblings.
The hit five-season television series, The Fosters, becomes a comfort show for those who have had experiences. The show depicted the realities and discrepancies of what the foster care system is like-including the complexities of foster care parents dealing with the biological parents of the foster youth and the family court process. The visual representation of what life is like for a foster youth provides a healing effect to those who have been impacted by the foster care system-to see shared experiences with characters that one has experienced. The Fosters not only provided healing and comfort to individuals impacted by the foster care system but also provides insight to individuals who may not be well informed on what the system is like.
In The Fosters, Callie Adams Foster (played by Maia Mitchell) entered the Adams Foster family with the notion it would be a temporary situation with the loss of hope of finding a permanent loving family. Callie was released from juvenile detention for protecting her brother from their foster dad. Callie was released into the custody of Adams Foster family. The Adams Foster family home Callie was placed into was a home that consisted of adopted siblings and one biological child of the parent. Adams Foster’s home is in San Diego, California. The occupation of the parents consists of a patrol law enforcement officer and vice-principal of a charter school.
For the first few days, Callie was quiet and adjusting to life in the Adams Foster’s home. Once Callie was in the custody of Stef and Lena, Callie snuck out and went to save her brother, Jude (played by Hayden Byerly) who was still stuck living in a dangerous foster home. As a result, Jude was taken into custody under Stef and Lena.
Individuals may emotionally connect to one sibling more than the other that’s portrayed in the show. However, Callie Adams Foster resonated with most of the show’s audience. Fans stayed and watched Callie grow up through law school graduation before the spinoff series Good Trouble. Callie resonated with so many individuals because female foster youth shared a very similar experience to Callie’s. Callie and Jude went through four foster homes before finding a permanent loving family and home with the Adams Fosters. The Fosters depicted Callie’s experience as a real experience in the system.
