Vol. 1, No. 1 • Spring 1997
Are you bored?
What do you do when you find extra time on your hands? Here are a few suggestions.
Watch cloudsNow that spring is here, the days are getting warmer and longer--perfect for cloud watching. This is something you can do alone or with other people? On a day with lots of sun and clouds, go to the grass in your backyard or another comfortable place outside. Lie down and look at the clouds. What do you see?
If you are with other people, tell them what the clouds look like to you. Maybe you see a lion, a sailboat, or a swan. If someone else things the clouds you're talking about looks like a house or a truck, don't worry. There's no right or wrong way to see a cloud!
Inspired by Steve and Ruth Bennett's 365 TV-Free Activities You Can Do With Your Child, 1991, Adams Publishing.
Tell jokes
Why not have a laugh? Tell these jokes to someone you love:
Q: Knock-knock.
A: Who's there?
Q: Boo
A: Boo who?
Q: Boo-hoo, why are you crying.Q: What did one frog say to another frog?
A: Time's fun when you're having flies!If you're looking for a way to keep the laughs going, we recommend Joseph Rosenbloom's Biggest Riddle Book in the World, parts I and II, 1976, Sterling Publishing Company.
I hope you know
by Michelle, age 15Open your eyes my friend and tell me what you see--do you see a world that's full of hate and disgust like me? The nights alone wondering if my parents would ever get home, wondering if its my fault we kids were alone. Was I bad? Did I make my Mommy and Daddy mad? Oh, the many nights I lay around and cried, feeling unwanted, ready and willing to die. I often wondered: is there a place where people are willing to care?
Soon I was faced with strangers I really didn't know. They always looked at me in a funny way and called me so and so. But as the years went past things started to change really fast. I felt something I never felt before. I felt a warmth inside of me and a whole lot more. I found a place where I felt that I could be me, a place where love and caring is all that surrounds me. Now I know what life means to me--love and happiness is all that my eyes see. Could it be that finally I found a place that I never, ever want to leave?
Every family has their ups and downs and, no matter what happens, I want for you everything that you have done for me. You made me see a light, a light that goes in my dreams and my hopes. You never let me settle for anything less than the best. And I guess, or actually I know, if it wasn't for you my life would be one big old mess.
Baby's homecoming
by Kristie, age 12The baby came home today
He is feeling better, I am glad to say
He is cute and sweet as can be
But boy he cries and eats you see.
Sleep's hard to come by at home
But I am glad this baby is finally not alone.
Do you like to write?We would like to publish your special work!
Email to [email protected] or mail it to: Fostering Perspectives, c/o John McMahon, Jordan Institute for Families,UNC-CH School of Social Work, 301 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550.
Lifebooks
What is a lifebook? A lifebook reminds you who you are and where you've been. It's something you make that helps other people get to know you. It is a record of what you were like as a child, your likes and dislikes, and what you want to be.
A lifebook is a recording of your past and present experiences, memories, and dreams.
Anything can go inside. It can be a place for pictures of your family, classmates and friends--whoever you think is important in your life. It can also help you keep track of things you need to have around, such as your birth certificate, social security card, school and medical records, and job application information. It is a place you can express yourself- by designing the cover or including poems, writing, or drawings.
Your social worker, foster parents, relatives, and birth parents are just few of the people who can help you create your lifebook.
My lifebook
by Jan MarieMy lifebook means a lot to me. It is the story of my life. People can learn things about me by looking at my lifebook. It helps them to understand what foster care is all about.
I had a say-so about what went in my lifebook. I particularly liked being able to design my lifebook's cover. I think this book is an expression of myself and some of the things I have done. I have included pictures from vacations that I have been on, personal records, achievements, and different facts about me.
The process of developing my lifebook took a while, and I had to think about what I wanted to include. This is a process that never ends.
When I decide to have children, this is something that I can share with them. I am looking forward to visiting my natural family and asking them about who their parents were and finding out more about my biological family.
When I'm older, I will be able to look back at my lifebook and see what I did with my life. I'll probably have a few good laughs.
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 27599-3550Bugs Rodman
by Evan, age 10
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