Though many people have heard of foster care, some do not have the correct understanding of it. Foster care provides dependent, neglected, and abused children with a safe and temporary living arrangement with someone other than a birth parent. Biological families often face issues like homelessness, substance addiction, or illness that forces children into foster care.
When the Department of Social Services (DSS) and a judge in a county feel that a child is living in unsafe conditions, DSS obtains custody of the child. It then finds the child a foster home in which the length of stay varies. Foster parents must be trained and licensed to temporarily care for neglected and abused children. In the meantime, the biological parents work with social workers to resolve their issues.
Foster care statistics show that thousands of children in each state enter the system each year. The goal of the system is for the biological family, DSS, and the foster family to work together to quickly return foster children to their homes. In some cases, this does not work out and a child is put up for adoption. Foster parents may then petition for consideration of being adoptive parents.
Ages of foster children range from infancy to 18. Some of these children have emotional or physical disabilities or handicaps and require special care. Others exhibit delinquent or undisciplined behavior. Still others have been victimized sexually or physically. In general, these situations leave the children with a weak sense of self-worth or belonging.
Foster parents must be willing to give their foster children nurturing, support, and special care. A relative may be licensed to become the foster parent of a child or the person may be a complete stranger. In either case, just as much effort is expected to deal with the unique experiences, background, needs, and personalities of the child.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Father's Day
First let me start off by saying I've had a wonderful father's day! It started out a little rocky with a little family scare but ended up great!
It being father's day I decided I would take a bath and soak in my new Jacuzzi tub and that would start my morning out right! So I started my bath and climbed in hoping for a peaceful soak.
At this point, let me add, I felt the way Colt Severs felt on the old TV show Fall Guy. For those of you who remember, he had a bathtub out in front of his house. At the end of the episode (Colt's Angel), after catching the bad guy, he is out front soaking, and has a cigar in his mouth carving a wooden duck and everyone piles around him. He looks at them kinda funny and says; "what are you doing in my bathroom!" In another episode he says something to the effect that he's been in a burning building and rolled cars and would like just a little quiet time. Today I felt just like him.
I had no more gotten sat down in my nice hot bath than my girls started banging on the door. "Daddy we are going to do laundry." "Daddy should we do colors?" "Daddy can you come start the washer?" After numerous attempts to ignore them I decided I would get out of my nice hot bath. All in all though, it was an awesome day. Grilled steaks for my dad, then came home and baked cookies. As always, I am very thankful for my awesome friends and family.
It being father's day I decided I would take a bath and soak in my new Jacuzzi tub and that would start my morning out right! So I started my bath and climbed in hoping for a peaceful soak.
At this point, let me add, I felt the way Colt Severs felt on the old TV show Fall Guy. For those of you who remember, he had a bathtub out in front of his house. At the end of the episode (Colt's Angel), after catching the bad guy, he is out front soaking, and has a cigar in his mouth carving a wooden duck and everyone piles around him. He looks at them kinda funny and says; "what are you doing in my bathroom!" In another episode he says something to the effect that he's been in a burning building and rolled cars and would like just a little quiet time. Today I felt just like him.
I had no more gotten sat down in my nice hot bath than my girls started banging on the door. "Daddy we are going to do laundry." "Daddy should we do colors?" "Daddy can you come start the washer?" After numerous attempts to ignore them I decided I would get out of my nice hot bath. All in all though, it was an awesome day. Grilled steaks for my dad, then came home and baked cookies. As always, I am very thankful for my awesome friends and family.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Grey
As things change, you notice some of the changes and the other ones you don't.
I noticed a few weeks ago I'm getting grey in my beard! What's up with that? Grey...really? I'm a few days away from my 29th birthday and already going grey. I thought grey hit you when you were in your late 40's.
Well, as all humans do, now I'm looking myself over and thinking that just the other day my barber told me, "Gentry your not gonna be able to get your hair cut like this much longer." I told him it sounded like he was trying to run off business! LOL!
So, not only am I going grey, I'm going bald. Talk about depressing...man. And here I thought I was doing pretty good! So, what makes it all this way? Is it stress, maybe work, maybe even play? I guess God only knows, and that's the way it should be. So, in the morning I'll wake up and start a new day with a smile.
I noticed a few weeks ago I'm getting grey in my beard! What's up with that? Grey...really? I'm a few days away from my 29th birthday and already going grey. I thought grey hit you when you were in your late 40's.
Well, as all humans do, now I'm looking myself over and thinking that just the other day my barber told me, "Gentry your not gonna be able to get your hair cut like this much longer." I told him it sounded like he was trying to run off business! LOL!
So, not only am I going grey, I'm going bald. Talk about depressing...man. And here I thought I was doing pretty good! So, what makes it all this way? Is it stress, maybe work, maybe even play? I guess God only knows, and that's the way it should be. So, in the morning I'll wake up and start a new day with a smile.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Mornings
There are those days that you wonder why you got out of bed. You think when you wake up "its going to be hot out, I don't want to sweat, and I love the A/C." But, against your better judgement, you get up, and whatever your ritual for the mornings may, be you start it.
Maybe, when you wake up you stumble to the bathroom and start the shower. You stand there and stare at it as the water warms, still rubbing your eyes. You're trying to get the sandman to leave you alone so you can make sure you're not putting your wife's cream rinse in your hair instead of shampoo. (There's many foreign articles in my shower)
So, now we have succeeded in starting our morning, and out the door we run. We jump into our car, throw it in gear, and then remember... you didn't even grab your belt. You jump out of your car and forgetting that you have put it into gear, it starts to roll without you. You jump back in and slam it into park. The whole time mumbling under your breath that your so-and-so wife just had to have the yard mowed last night at 9pm not allowing you to have your required 10 hours of sleep you need for your brain to function.
You make it back in the door, after numerous attempts, because your dog thinks you got back out of your car just to play with him! He's jumping and bouncing, and of course, putting paw prints on your freshly laundered pants. There's your belt on the arm of the chair where you left it last night.
So, you have successfully made it to your car fully dressed and out the drive. You pull on to the road to start your day. It all gets fuzzy and becomes a fog in your brain. What's that noise? That buzzing in your head. You can't see, and now someone is kicking you!
OH NO! That was all a dream, that's the alarm you're hearing. That's your wife kicking you trying to get you to turn it off. You roll over and turn your alarm off. Then, you stumble to the bathroom thinking its going to be hot out today, and you stand there waiting for the shower water to get warm. Rubbing your eyes trying to chase the sandman away from.... WAIT! This is just what you dreamed, you stand there for a split second thinking.
You shut the water off, mumble under your breath the words to an old Johnny Paycheck song you know. Stumbling back out the bathroom door heading to the bedroom, you lay back down in bed and think this is the sick day I have been needing! You just hope the flexible spending arrangement that you started is good. Good night!
Maybe, when you wake up you stumble to the bathroom and start the shower. You stand there and stare at it as the water warms, still rubbing your eyes. You're trying to get the sandman to leave you alone so you can make sure you're not putting your wife's cream rinse in your hair instead of shampoo. (There's many foreign articles in my shower)
So, now we have succeeded in starting our morning, and out the door we run. We jump into our car, throw it in gear, and then remember... you didn't even grab your belt. You jump out of your car and forgetting that you have put it into gear, it starts to roll without you. You jump back in and slam it into park. The whole time mumbling under your breath that your so-and-so wife just had to have the yard mowed last night at 9pm not allowing you to have your required 10 hours of sleep you need for your brain to function.
You make it back in the door, after numerous attempts, because your dog thinks you got back out of your car just to play with him! He's jumping and bouncing, and of course, putting paw prints on your freshly laundered pants. There's your belt on the arm of the chair where you left it last night.
So, you have successfully made it to your car fully dressed and out the drive. You pull on to the road to start your day. It all gets fuzzy and becomes a fog in your brain. What's that noise? That buzzing in your head. You can't see, and now someone is kicking you!
OH NO! That was all a dream, that's the alarm you're hearing. That's your wife kicking you trying to get you to turn it off. You roll over and turn your alarm off. Then, you stumble to the bathroom thinking its going to be hot out today, and you stand there waiting for the shower water to get warm. Rubbing your eyes trying to chase the sandman away from.... WAIT! This is just what you dreamed, you stand there for a split second thinking.
You shut the water off, mumble under your breath the words to an old Johnny Paycheck song you know. Stumbling back out the bathroom door heading to the bedroom, you lay back down in bed and think this is the sick day I have been needing! You just hope the flexible spending arrangement that you started is good. Good night!
Friday, June 3, 2011
It's Never Too Late
We have all wanted to do something and never got a chance to, or it didn't work out, but a wise person oce said: It's never to late to do what you want to do. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you can do anything you want to.
We all are very strong willed and we can do anything we want, as long as we set our minds to it. Look at Bill Gates did he start at the top? Nope, he didn't. He started out small as we all do.
I guess, just saying the moral to the story, is no matter what you do, whether it's selling lumber and hardware, styling hair, or even working in a factory put your all into it and YOU WILL succeed!
We all are very strong willed and we can do anything we want, as long as we set our minds to it. Look at Bill Gates did he start at the top? Nope, he didn't. He started out small as we all do.
I guess, just saying the moral to the story, is no matter what you do, whether it's selling lumber and hardware, styling hair, or even working in a factory put your all into it and YOU WILL succeed!
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Value of Five Dollars
I was in a Communications class once in college and we were in the middle of chapter two and talking about values and beliefs, self esteem and self worth. Most everyone knows or has heard that you're supposed to talk positively about yourself or anything else to achieve your desired results. The "what you say is what you'll get" cliché' or "garbage in garbage out" theory is most widely used. My teacher said: "Sometimes people get depressed and quiet and don't say anything to anyone or don't feel out-going and compare themselves to other people who are out-going and think; "Well, I'd be out-going too if I was rich or if I had everything going for me, or nothing ever goes wrong in so and so's life.". Well, maybe things do go wrong for people that seem happy all the time or positive all the time. Maybe they just don't show it. Maybe they have the world falling down around their feel, but they choose to stay cheerful and positive."
You've heard it and heard it time and time again, and still you come out of the class or motivational sermon with the same feelings than when you went in. This time, as I was listening to my teacher explain the concept of "self worth", she added a new perspective that enlightened me.
She asked; "If I were to go to the ATM machine and take out a five dollar bill that was brand new, crisp, with no wrinkles or tears and held it up and asked if any of you wanted it....how many of you would say yes?" The whole class raised their hands.
"Okay, now; she asked, If I were to take a five dollar bill and tear off a couple of the corners, wad it up in a ball and roll it between my hands, then take it and throw it on the floor and step on it and kick it around with my shoe until it was dirty, then wipe it off a little and hold it up and ask if anyone wanted it....how may of you would say yes now?" Again, the whole class laughed as they raised their hands.
"That's right. I don't blame you! Just because this dollar isn't perfect and has tears and wrinkles doesn't change it's value or worth."
We all knew this, but hadn't really thought about it like that.
Then she said; "What about people. Some people have been in accidents where they are disabled, have scars or are missing a limb. They may have been abused, paralyzed or had an illness that left them physically altered. Any number of things may have happened in someone's life. Just because someone has had a rough life, doesn't mean that their life is less valuable, that their worth is any less. They're the same person with the same value even though they have tears and wrinkles and scars, they're not crisp and new."
That really impressed me as I began to think about it. Everyday, there are many of us that tend to de-value ourselves based on what has happened in the past or what is happening to us right now. We lose our self esteem, feel that our self worth is rapidly declining....but it isn't so. If I could add a little of religion here, I would say that to God, we are always valuable. Our worth never depreciates no matter what we have done. We are the same as we always were. So, the next time you feel worthless, stop and think about it. No matter how we look on the outside or how we feel about ourselves, our value hasn't changed.
You've heard it and heard it time and time again, and still you come out of the class or motivational sermon with the same feelings than when you went in. This time, as I was listening to my teacher explain the concept of "self worth", she added a new perspective that enlightened me.
She asked; "If I were to go to the ATM machine and take out a five dollar bill that was brand new, crisp, with no wrinkles or tears and held it up and asked if any of you wanted it....how many of you would say yes?" The whole class raised their hands.
"Okay, now; she asked, If I were to take a five dollar bill and tear off a couple of the corners, wad it up in a ball and roll it between my hands, then take it and throw it on the floor and step on it and kick it around with my shoe until it was dirty, then wipe it off a little and hold it up and ask if anyone wanted it....how may of you would say yes now?" Again, the whole class laughed as they raised their hands.
"That's right. I don't blame you! Just because this dollar isn't perfect and has tears and wrinkles doesn't change it's value or worth."
We all knew this, but hadn't really thought about it like that.
Then she said; "What about people. Some people have been in accidents where they are disabled, have scars or are missing a limb. They may have been abused, paralyzed or had an illness that left them physically altered. Any number of things may have happened in someone's life. Just because someone has had a rough life, doesn't mean that their life is less valuable, that their worth is any less. They're the same person with the same value even though they have tears and wrinkles and scars, they're not crisp and new."
That really impressed me as I began to think about it. Everyday, there are many of us that tend to de-value ourselves based on what has happened in the past or what is happening to us right now. We lose our self esteem, feel that our self worth is rapidly declining....but it isn't so. If I could add a little of religion here, I would say that to God, we are always valuable. Our worth never depreciates no matter what we have done. We are the same as we always were. So, the next time you feel worthless, stop and think about it. No matter how we look on the outside or how we feel about ourselves, our value hasn't changed.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Indianapolis
The time is here when I make the long trek from Arkansas to Indiana to go to the Do It Best market in Indianapolis! Indy is such a nice city and always welcomes all of members as we invade on the city in droves.
While here, there are many wonderful restaurants to eat at, along with a couple of my favorites: the Ram Brewery and St Elmo's stake house.
Of course there's plenty of shopping here and its all easily accessed with sky walks connected all over the city! The circle city mall is always a pleasant treat, with everything you would come to expect from a theater, to shopping, and of course all or your favorite mall foods!
So in closing, let me say, if you haven't been to Indianapolis, take time and come! Its an awesome city, and of course, home of the Colts!
While here, there are many wonderful restaurants to eat at, along with a couple of my favorites: the Ram Brewery and St Elmo's stake house.
Of course there's plenty of shopping here and its all easily accessed with sky walks connected all over the city! The circle city mall is always a pleasant treat, with everything you would come to expect from a theater, to shopping, and of course all or your favorite mall foods!
So in closing, let me say, if you haven't been to Indianapolis, take time and come! Its an awesome city, and of course, home of the Colts!
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