To all the GOOD foster parents… past and present

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To all the GOOD foster parents…

THANK YOU

for

• Giving me my first stuffed animal to hold tight… and comfort me through the night

• Showing  me that spilled milk and dropped cranberries are just “accidents” … and do not mean that I should be hit, kicked, burnt, or locked in a closet because of it.  “Accident’s happen… no reason to cry over spilled milk”

• Teaching me the “slipping slidy soap” song… so I could remember to use the soap when I bathed/showered  (I still know it today!)

• Listening to my secrets, that no ears should hear … and responding appropriately, caringly, and honestly.  Not dumping me for the revelations I shared

• For never shaming me, embarrassing me, or threatening me with scary punishments even when I was horrible … I had enough of that, right?

• Making sure Santa Claus came… because alot of times he didn’t  

• Recognizing that how I lived is REALLY different than how you live … and being patient, as you help me adjust

• Teaching me to respect nature … and to find comfort in its beauty

• Encouraging me to dance my feelings out …. and accepting ALL of them, including those in the “FU dance”

• Laughing at times …  when you wanted to scream!

• Doing things that were younger than my chronilogical age, such as reading to me or playing games, because in reality my emotional and developmental age were much younger… or I never did those activities

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• Talking about my bioparents without negativity.  But being honest

• Being ok with me sleeping on the floor or under the bed or other strange places…  because it felt safer …

• Explaining what happened in court or what the worker said, so I was not taken by surprise…

• Treating me like I was a real member of your family…not just “the foster kid.”

• Not reminding me of the “check” that was associated with me…

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•  Becoming emotionally invested in my upbringing and caring…

…even when it hurt…

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