Success Stories in the Foster Care System
Not all foster care experiences are bad, as a matter of fact there are quite a few success stories out there. Let’s get on a happier note and look at a few success stories.
The first story I found was an actual podcast on NPR. It talks about a young man by the name of Tony Jones. Jackie Jones, Tony’s foster mother, met Tony for the first time when she was observing him, which is part of the adoption process. Tony had spent most of his life bouncing around from different foster homes after he was taken away from his mother.
Tony did display some behavioral issues but it had nothing to do with his foster mother, it was more to do with him being scared that someone was going to come and take him away from Jackie. Jackie spent much of her time reassuring Tony that she was always going to be there and that he was stuck with her. Tony was classified as a failure to thrive baby and this seems to bring about abandonment issues in children.
Unfortunately, this is something that has stayed with Tony for his entire life, even today he tests people in his life to see how much he means to them. Tony has grown up to have a great life, he is currently a sports writer for Daytona Beach News-Journal, and a father himself. Tony has tried to model his parenting style after his mother. The entire NPR podcast link is below.
The next story is about a young lady by the name of Teresa Hidalgo. Teresa and her siblings were taken away from their biological mother and father because her mother was a drug addict and her father was an alcoholic. Teresa and her siblings were placed with their grandmother, but this was not a good situation for them either. Grandma was physically abusive to all of the children. She would beat the children with anything she could get to, such as spoons and electrical cords. The children would walk around every day with bruises from this abuse.
At age eleven Teresa moved into her third foster home in the same year. She was placed into her third foster home with two of her brothers, which made her very happy. The other three siblings were placed in a foster home only a block away. Teresa’s life began to change for the positive, her grades in school began to improve and she started feeling more at home with this foster family. Unfortunately, this was not the same for her siblings. The siblings that were living a block away had to be moved because their new foster mom was abusing them yet again.
One of the brothers that was living in the same foster home had some behavior issues and ended up stabbing a teacher with a pencil. The other brother ended up running with the wrong crowd and getting arrested for skipping school and possession of marijuana. Teresa felt that things were beginning to fall apart again, but her foster parents constantly showed her support and told her how proud they were of her.
Teresa began to develop a great relationship with her foster sister Diana and this pushed her to do better. Diana would talk to her about how much she enjoyed college and how fun it was. This in turn pushed Teresa to look towards the future. Teresa ended up graduating with honors and went on to Whittier College.
I would like to share a quote with you from Teresa that made me smile and look at the good that the foster system can provide to children. “I used to think that family was only your brothers and sisters, mom and dad. But now I know that your family is the people who are there for you in good times and bad times. I never thought that when I moved into my third foster home, I was going to gain a family and find hope for the future.” (Hidalgo) If you would like to read the whole article written by Teresa Hidalgo, the link is below.
Here is another success story. Ann’s video will show you how her life was turned around when she entered foster care.
Not every child that enters foster care ends up suffering, as a matter of fact, there are children that have entered foster care and it has completely changed their lives forever in a positive way. Remember it is not all bad and the true purpose of foster care to for the betterment of children. These stories have shown us what the ultimate purpose of foster care is. Taking abuse or neglected children out of a horrible situation and giving them the chance to have a great life.
