...i will pipe up and tell you that you don't.
i was given a huge dose of "new perspective" yesterday. i'm sure you all remember those crazy 3 years that we were foster parents. what were we thinking? don't deny you asked yourselves the same question. while doc macgyver was away, we decided we weren't being tortured enough. so we asked for more. well, it just didn't seem that way at the time. we felt strongly that God was asking us to help. so we tried our best and went with it. it wasn't easy. but it was definitely an experience. i know we learned a lot and we're better for having done it. it took a toll on our own children that we hadn't expected, but i think they are better off for the experience also.
okay...getting to the point. yesterday we had a discussion with some friends about the other side of the scene. the one that you don't typically get to see. all the children that came through our home seemed to be deprived of something or another. they had been neglected or abused or whatever. did we know the parents? no. did we know the circumstances? not really. we just knew what we were told. we only heard one side of the story. yesterday, our friends told us the other side.
these friends of ours have been foster parents for a few years. they have taken about 5 placements so far. they have a 4 year old son that they adopted privately. back in november, they had an infant placed with them. they were in the process of changing a diaper, when they heard what they thought was a bone snap. they called their doctor, and took the baby to the ER. xrays were taken. they were told that there was a break and not just 1 fracture, but several; and all in various stages of healing. the radiologist immediately reported it as child abuse. the infant foster child was taken from their care, and their own son was taken from them. the state has done no further testing to determine what happened and continues to make accusations. the state is pressing charges. they are only allowed to see their son periodically. they have retained attorneys, of course. but one small voice against an entire system? it's not looking hopeful.
2 comments:
Oh no. That just makes my heart sink. Wouldn't the state realize this was previous abuse before your friend had the child in their care? I have seriously thought about becoming a foster parent someday. I feel strongly about the children that need help and love in their sad little abused lives. I just have to convince myself that I am tough enough. I am very sensitive when is comes to neglected children. Would you do it again?
ok so we had neighbors who had this happen to them and they had everyone they knew write letters in and send it to whoever it needed to go to. They had the bishop, stake pres. their ward...EVERYONE! write letters saying that they would NEVER do such a thing like that and so on. Well they WON! they got their 3 kids back and a foster back!!!
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