News-Record.com

That was kind of you to write that Brittany.

I used to have a boss named Chuck. He drove a lime green Ford Maverick that never got washed or had its oil changed. He had wiry gray hair that stuck out in every direction like birds had tried to remove it as he slept. Chuck was very withdrawn and he stunk very badly. Some of us would gather at a local coffee shop and would guess just what it was about him that was causing the perma-stench. He lived in a garage with no running water, so I supposed his odor was simply "everything that it was."

Chuck would always state the obvious and would say it with a tonality that ensured anyone he was speaking to felt as dumb as he wanted them to feel. Chuck enjoyed ruination.

He never had a companion except for his dog.

His car finally broke down and stayed in his driveway for at least two years. A friend of mine gave him enough money to fix it and enough gas to make it to another town. He drove off in the middle of the night only to pull over to the side of the road to put a bullet in his head. Seems he thought too much of the man who let him live with no water to have allowed him to make the discovery.

Now I understand why this happened. Chuck was raised in an orphanage and wasn't chosen until he was almost 12. He did speak of how badly he hurt to watch other families leave with one of his "brothers" and yet leave him there alone. He never had any self-worth.

In all the time I knew him, he only mentioned this once. There are many kids that need a loving home and a family to accept them just as they are.

For those that this never happens for, sometimes the pain is greater than their ability to bear it.

Thank you for bringing light to this important topic.
My husband and I have not "struggled to have children of our own", but rather wish to provide a permanent home and family for a child or children who have been the victims of abuse, neglect or abandonment. We've decided that this is our first choice as a way to grow our family.
We are over 21 (well over), have a stable income, a place to live with an extra bed, room in our hearts and the wish to impact the life of a child forever.
We've had our foster license for over two months and have yet to receive a call, though we stay in regular contact with our social worker. We've expressed our willingness to accept children with a fairly wide range of special needs.
We constantly hear messages like yours and have answered the call. Yet after attending the classes, completing the inspections and receiving both a foster license and an approved homestudy to adopt, we have heard NOTHING. Maybe two months isn't a reasonable amount of time to have received a placement, but I must say I'm surprised, because all I ever heard before was how great the need was.
I'm not signing my real name, because I've heard that you can be labeled by social workers as a "troublemaker" if you complain about the system at all, and then you'll never get a placement.
We're going to give this process a year, and if we still don't have a placement, we'll assume that the need is greater internationally and go that way.
Thank you for highlighting this important issue. I know there are so many kids in need, but it appears to me that something is gumming up the works in our system.

Dear Frustrated,

God knows exactly which child will come your way. It just isn't time yet.

This will make you all the more appreciative when it does happen.

Good luck raising your child.