Vol. 7, No. 1• November 2002
Reflection on Butterflies in Foster Care
by Jessica Salinis
Butterflies are some of the most captivating and beautiful creatures in our environment. They start out as little caterpillars that struggle to get through each day. As nature takes its course, caterpillars develop wings and become beautiful butterflies with the freedom to fly. Adolescents in the foster care system are like butterflies that live with many struggles. The ultimate goal for them is to have a change in their life that will give them their wings of freedom.
Butterflies have many different colors. I am sure I’ve never seen two butterflies that have the exact same colors in the same places. Adolescents are very similar to butterflies in this respect. They all have shared some of the same experiences and feelings, but in different ways. If I envision teens in foster care as butterflies, the different colors on their wings can easily come to represent different things:
Red. When the butterfly first learned to trust and love. This moment in life is so important for the butterfly’s development. Positive relationships with people depend on this experience.
Blue. The butterfly’s school experiences. These experiences will mold the butterfly academically and socially for the future.
Green. The butterfly’s history with his or her birth family. In my mind, green is captured mostly in the body of the butterfly, near its center. The feelings and events that the butterfly has towards its birth family will be an extremely crucial part of the butterfly’s growth. The butterfly may grow and prosper immediately from the positive experiences and memories. Negative experiences, too, are the source of the butterfly’s existence, but it takes a significant amount time for the butterfly to grow from the negative experiences.
Yellow. The butterfly’s feelings of loss and grief. These feelings culminate with the butterfly’s experiences from its birth family. Together they ignite true growth for the butterfly. As they are very painful feelings, the butterfly learns that it must continue its purpose and continue to fly. In time the loss and grief heal and the butterfly becomes stronger.
Tan. The butterfly’s experiences shared with friends. These experiences normalize the life of the butterfly. They give the butterfly the chance to reduce feelings of isolation and enable it to feel self-confident and carefree.
Orange. The butterfly’s accomplishments in life. These experiences reconfirm its internal pride. With each challenge it overcomes, the butterfly develops a sense of its own strength.
Purple. The butterfly’s love and support from others. The butterfly’s success in flight will always depend on the existence of these feelings. The butterfly is very strong and does not depend on many things from people. However, it will always fly back to find comfort in the feelings of love and support. These feelings can easily take away the scary feelings of being empty and alone.
Light Blue. The dreams the butterfly has and the places it wants to go and see. This is why the butterfly has the power of flight—if it did not have a vision, there would be no need to fly.
Black. The wings on the butterfly are embedded with a strong black frame and body. The black frame separates the different experiences from one another and gives the butterfly the strength to fly.
Adolescents in the foster care system are butterflies, all of whom have experienced different events in their lives to become the people they are today. All the colors of their wings, combined with the strength of their body and the support from others, creates their resilience. It is mesmerizing that there are so many butterflies flying beautifully throughout the world.
Like a butterfly’s wings, the wings of an adolescent in the foster care system are very fragile. They must learn to be careful with their wings. They are susceptible to getting hurt very easily and falling. They must also remember to think situations through while allowing room to experience new things. If the butterfly does not keep going to new places, the butterfly will miss opportunities to see the greener grass, prettier flowers, and meet other butterflies.
These butterflies may fly beside other butterflies, but most are seen flying alone. Some stop and rest often, since the life of a butterfly can be very hard. It is hard work for the butterfly to fly all day searching for places to go.
The butterfly gains energy from the nectar of flowers. My hope and dream is that every foster care butterfly will find the nectar of support and encouragement that he or she needs to be successful in its flight and in its life.
Jessica Salinis, a former foster youth, is now the LINKS coordinator for the department of social services in Yadkin County, North Carolina.
Further Reflection and Discussion
Consider sharing this article with an adolescent in foster care that you know. Ask him or her to read the article and then talk about it together, using the questions below as a guide.
- How has your life been like the life of a butterfly?
- The author connects the colors one sees on butterflies to the experiences, strengths, and needs of teenagers in foster care. Which one of the colors/qualities she describes do you relate to most?
- Which color do you relate to least?
- Do teenagers in foster care have experiences, strengths, and needs that are not touched on in this essay? If so, what are they?
- If the missing experiences/strengths/needs were colors, what color would they be?
Copyright � 2002 Jordan Institute for Families
