I am currently trapped on the couch under a snoring 5 year old. He is stuck on The A Team right now and he really needed to watch just one more episode. I love that his current obsession was one of my favorite TV shows as a kid. I also treasure these nights when he asks me to stop working and cuddle on the couch with him. Since the day our case worker brought him to me, this child has had me wrapped around his finger. The day the judge formally announced that he was mine forever was one of the best days of my life.
We spent this afternoon celebrating the birthday of an amazing young man who was the first foster child to join our family. He came as my foster nephew and should have been a part of our forever family but unfortunately has a string of incompetent CPS caseworkers.
This wonderful young man is working hard to create a stable life for himself but is doing so with limited support because the system failed him. When teens age out of foster care, they are more likely to be homeless, become drug addicts, go to prison, or kill themselves. They are less likely to complete school or create a family that breaks the cycle of abuse. They struggle because young adults need forever families to back them up as they find their places in the world.
The little boy with his head on my chest has a different future because he has a family.He has a mom and dad who adore him and people who will be by his side no matter what. As a nation, we must work towards finding forever families for every foster child before they age out.
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