Vol. 2, No. 2 • Spring 1998
The color of a rose
by Eva, age 17Love and happiness
sadness and hurt
They are hidden in
the color of a rose.
Each petal has a story to tell
Each story is different from the rest Each one has a different smell
for you to smell
With every color and story
And with each new petal to smell Everyone is different
. . . so different it makes me
high on life.
Talking about my foster parents
by Amanda, age 8Hi, my name is Amanda. I have been living with my foster parents for a year. My mom died when I was little. Then my grandma died and that�s when I started to live with my foster parents. My dad works a long way away.
When people ask me about it I feel mad, sad, embarrassed. They make me mad because they ask me so much. It makes me sad because it reminds me of [my mom and grandma]. It makes me embarrassed because they say it so loud everybody hears. Some of the people ask me over and over. Most of my friends ask me.
When they ask I will go ahead and tell them that my mom died when I was little, then I lived with my grandma who was like a mom and she died. Then I tell them that�s when I started to live with my foster parents, who are my new family. Just like most of them have step parents or just one parent as their family. I tell them I have a big family that loves me and I am happy they are my mom and dad. Sometimes I just say it�s none of their business. If they ask over and over I tell them to be quiet and forget about it. If they keep on asking, I just ignore them.
I wish people wouldn�t ask me so much. I wish it didn�t happen so I could just be like everybody else. But I�m glad Steve and Shelley are my foster parents, and I�m happy and I guess that�s all that matters.
First Place Writing Entry
by Hilary, age 12It is hard to be a foster child during the holiday because I miss my family. I remember all the good times I had. Christmas is a family time, and I miss my family. I have to follow all directions to get presents. Most foster children don�t want to show our true colors. We want to act as if we are tough. We are mean to our parents and don�t want to be nice. We don�t like to be bothered. We are not in the holiday mood, sometimes, during the Christmas or Chanukah season. Some kids don�t get presents because of the money issue. Some kids are fortunate to see their mom or dad, or both. Some kids have organized gatherings with parents. Most kids don�t like to be foster children because they miss their birth parents. Even though some of our parents have done some mean things, we still love them very much. At school I sometimes get made fun of when people feel like picking on me. I hurt very much inside and want to cry, but don�t so I don�t get made fun of more. People treat me differently because they think that I did something against the law or did something bad to be put in foster care. Most people use stereotypes�they think that foster care is bad, when it really helps kids like me. I wish people would stop and think to ask a foster child what it feels like. People would have a different feeling for foster kids if they did ask. A lot of foster kids wish people did ask�it helps them get their anger out. This is my story on foster care. I hope whoever reads this will have a different feeling about foster care and want to go through training to be a foster parent.
Hilary was awarded $50 for her entry.
Second Place Writing Entry
by Chikeitha, age 18The hardest part of being a foster kid during the holidays is that I sometimes feel a little �left out.� I feel as though I am intruding or imposing into the lives of the people that I am around. I have always possessed these uncertainties of �being in the way� when it comes to holidays because I am a �foster kid,� whether I like it or not. Feeling isolated comes with the territory.
What I do to make it a better situation is that I think how blessed I am to have such a loving Mom and a caring family in the first place. I could have been somewhere out on the street, but instead I am in a home filled with the warmth of love stimulating my heart. I think of how I could have been in another home being treated like �dirt,� so to speak, or treated like I am a �fake� person or a maid or servant. Thankfully I am with a family who is actually that�a family. I am treated as a part of the whole.
My Mom helps me get over these doubts that sometimes inject themselves in my mind. When I see her smile, or hear her encouraging words, I know that I don�t have to worry about fitting in because she lets me know that God loves me, and so does she.
With this in mind, whenever a holiday comes around, I look forward to it because I know that I do belong. If not with everyone, then with the ones who count: God, my Mom, and my family.
Chikeitha was awarded $40 for her entry.
Winning Artists
Send Us You Artwork!
Can you draw, paint, or sketch? Share your talents with us! Fostering Perspectives awards children and teens who are living or have lived in foster care a prize of $15 for artwork we publish. We are especially interested in art that relates to you and your life in foster care. Artwork should be on white paper, and should be mailed flat. Unpublished submissions will be returned.
Send submissions to: John McMahon, Editor Fostering Perspectives UNC School of Social Work CB# 3550 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550
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