Still watching Harry Reid and Cliven Bundy out there in Nevada. The eminent domain deal against Ceil and Andie Barrie down there in Colorado was interesting. And it was interesting to read that over twenty three thousand children aged out of foster care in 2012. Which means they generally are out there with no family, having been shuttled through foster homes for up to eighteen years.
What do they do Mumsee?
I can’t imagine being shifted out into the world with no training, no one to care and no resources.
For me, the Air Force was a way out. But I wasn’t pushed out. My sister stayed in the family until she married.
I imagine it is very difficult. They don’t necessarily leave with any skills that are commonly learned in the family or picked up by the family. No dad to say, “did you insure your car? ” No mom to say, “are you eating right?” No mom and dad to come home to when school is not working quite the way it was planned. Nobody to call or get letters and care packages from.
The military works for some but the GED is not the best way to get in and one has to have at least that. If years have been spent in foster care, probably a diploma has not been attained by age eighteen. Some foster families try to push to keep the stipend coming so the child will have something to finish school with, but those are the families also willing to keep the child in the home after the child turns eighteen.
Sometimes the young person moves on to get just enough welfare assistance to go in a really bad direction. Often, there is someone there to take advantage of their foolishness. It is so sad to watch. I hate when government makes it harder for them to reach the bottom and want to turn away from help that some genuinely want to give. ;(
We have a staff member who was one of five children found sleeping under a car. He was the only one of the five to be adopted. He was adopted only months before his adoptive father died of cancer. The others aged out of foster care. Last I heard one brother was in prison and one in rehab and his sister was a prostitute. Adoption makes a difference.
Wandering Views 
Still watching Harry Reid and Cliven Bundy out there in Nevada. The eminent domain deal against Ceil and Andie Barrie down there in Colorado was interesting. And it was interesting to read that over twenty three thousand children aged out of foster care in 2012. Which means they generally are out there with no family, having been shuttled through foster homes for up to eighteen years.
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What do they do Mumsee?
I can’t imagine being shifted out into the world with no training, no one to care and no resources.
For me, the Air Force was a way out. But I wasn’t pushed out. My sister stayed in the family until she married.
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I imagine it is very difficult. They don’t necessarily leave with any skills that are commonly learned in the family or picked up by the family. No dad to say, “did you insure your car? ” No mom to say, “are you eating right?” No mom and dad to come home to when school is not working quite the way it was planned. Nobody to call or get letters and care packages from.
The military works for some but the GED is not the best way to get in and one has to have at least that. If years have been spent in foster care, probably a diploma has not been attained by age eighteen. Some foster families try to push to keep the stipend coming so the child will have something to finish school with, but those are the families also willing to keep the child in the home after the child turns eighteen.
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Sometimes the young person moves on to get just enough welfare assistance to go in a really bad direction. Often, there is someone there to take advantage of their foolishness. It is so sad to watch. I hate when government makes it harder for them to reach the bottom and want to turn away from help that some genuinely want to give. ;(
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We have a staff member who was one of five children found sleeping under a car. He was the only one of the five to be adopted. He was adopted only months before his adoptive father died of cancer. The others aged out of foster care. Last I heard one brother was in prison and one in rehab and his sister was a prostitute. Adoption makes a difference.
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Adoption helps, but it is not a guarantee by any stretch. It is one of those, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink, things.
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