You know you are a foster kid…

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When…

1.  Your life is full of acronyms that “normal” kids don’t know: CPS, TPR, CP, FP, FFA, CASA, GAL, PP, PPH, IEP, ILP, ILSP, 15/22, PTSD, SED, RTC, … etc.

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2.  You use the word “worker” and it does not mean “employees” in general.

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3.  You are asked to provide your address and you write “I don’t know” because you have lived at ALOT of addresses.

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4.  You cry your eyes out while your foster family sleeps peacefully, because you are terrified of nighttime and feel so alone.

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5.  You have at least 3 believable stories ready when the neighborhood kids ask “Why can’t you live with YOUR parents?”

• They are sick and are in the hospital
• My house burned down in a fire and my parents have to get a new one
• They had to go out of town for their job

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6.  You have tons of “brothers and sisters” but none of them look like you…

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7.  You use a PERMANENT marker and you laugh because nothing is REALLY permanent.

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8.  You are required to do a school assignment on “YOUR FAMILY” but you don’t know which family the teacher means:  the hurtful one or the temporary one?… and you are too embarrassed to ask… so you make one up!

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9.  You have LIFEbooks, not YEARbooks.

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10.  You age-out and look one way down the street, then look the other way down the street… and realize you have no place to go!

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11.  You get an “inherited illness,” but have no idea which bioparent, biograndparent, bio-anything… gave it to you.  Or what is yet to come…