On Foster Care . .

I've got all these complicated, messy thoughts surrounding foster care swirling around in my head right now.  I've been composing this post in my head all day.

However, a certain little alert man is sitting about a foot away from me constructing a lego tower.  A certain little man who fell asleep in the car around 5pm and slept until 6pm.  You see where this is going.  He plays so nicely at 11pm.  There is no older sister to snatch toys away from, older brother to wrestle with, or older sister to cry to:)  But, we had better get off to bed before we completely ruin tomorrow.  And, I'm still in full blown Florence Nightengale mode, although Flannery claims she is going to work tomorrow for part of the day.  I don't think she can stand to hear anymore readings of Green Eggs and Ham floating through the house.  And, Cayla is well on the road to recovery.  Today, she washed her underarms, did not have a temp higher than 101, and ate 3 cookie parts, a carrot stick, and 1/4 cup of ramen.

Well, I might as well have out with it.  I cornered Flannery with my complicated, messy, HYPOTHETICAL thoughts surrounding fostercare/adoption during one of her rare forays downstairs and she immediately turned around and went back upstairs.  So, here is my hypothetical situation:  (And, please understand, this is hypothetical in every sense.)  Let's say rights are terminated on the birth parents.  And, let's say there are other interested relatives (grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins,  . . . ) who want custody of the children.  And, let's say that none of the relatives are able to become a licenced foster house because they are too old, or don't have enough rooms in their house, or are too close to the birth parents.  So then, the foster parents adopt the children.  But, you've got this group of relatives who care for the children - probably poor, probably minorities, probably disenfranchised.  And, you've got these privledged, white, middleclass, liberal ladies who adopt these children.  What kind of justice is that?  Shouldn't we be doing everything within our power to help this family get their children back?!?!?!

So, what actually happened was that Flannery looked at me, rolled her eyes and said something to the effect of 'why would you even begin to go there' and turned around and went upstairs.  Hopefully we'll meet some of this family soon and I can kick the hypothetical out.  Until then, I'm totally rooting for the birth parents, relatives, anyone who helped care for these fabulous, funny, smart, stubborn, beautiful, chip-loving creatures that have found their way into our hearts.