For the public to understand the foster care system and the need for foster care, they must understand the abuse and lives these children have lived. The abuse of children is an ugly and uncomfortable thing to talk about or think about for a lot of people. Some of these things these foster children have endured is unimaginable.

It is a difficult thing for us wrap our minds around that a biological parent would harm and allow others to harm their children. Just because it would be hard for us or uncomfortable for us does not mean thousands of children on a daily basis are not suffering from abuse or neglect.

Every child deserves a chance of a safe, secure, loving home and life. One child is not more deserving than another child. A child born into a drug environment to biological parents that are addicted to drugs or alcohol did not ask for that, nor should they be forced to live like that. They should be valued as children just as we do our own children.

While I whole heartedly agree that the foster care system needs a complete reform, I do not believe it would be better for any of us to let children remain in bad situations because it is easier than dealing with the problem on the table. Without Child Welfare most of these children would not have a chance and we would be dealing with most of them later as juveniles and adult offenders.

While it may not be something that we want to address because of the way it all makes us feel, it is something that we will be dealing with now or in the near future. Not everything in this life is easy nor is it pleasant to deal with, but for the most part we still have to. While it may be uncomfortable and hard for some of us to think about biological parents losing their parental rights to their children, and children going to foster care. It should not be about anybody but the children, and what is best for them.


More reading:

Benefitting More From Removal or Staying in The Situation?

Drugs Impacting the Foster Care System

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