i have to take 30 hours of parenting classes to get certified so i can foster a child. every time i go to class i think of a new worst case scenario. last week it was, "what if she's in a gang?" as a single woman, i'm not sure if i can handle some of the possible issues like - what if she abandons her baby in my home? what if she hurts my pets? what if she hurts me?
i am the only white person in the class. there's only one man, so i almost feel a kind of kindred with him because not an opportunity to rip men apart passes by unused. the antipathy towards white people does not go spoken (until last week) so i can only feel the vibe from some people. it makes me upset, hurt, angry. but, i also feel naive for experiencing racism and prejudice for the first time by the age of 38. what if i and my neighborhood are too white for this girl? it's pretty white here. i am pretty white. i'm so white, i'm an episcopalian for crying out loud!
it reminds me of my own racism. i'm not naive enough to pretend that i hold absolutely zero racism in my heart. as the song from avenue q goes, everyone's a little bit racist.
if i foster a black teenager and her baby, will racism be removed from me? if i live in africa in my vocation and work with aids orphans, will the racism be removed?
one of my favorite gospel stories is the canaanite woman who asks christ for healing for her daughter and he says it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. she has a quick wit and replies "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." and he tells her she has great faith and heals her daughter. to me that means that jesus learns and learns from a woman - a foreign or different woman no less. as a child i believed that jesus was perfect and always perfect. as an adult, i encounter a jesus who can learn, who can change his attitude, his prejudice. this is one of the reasons i am a christian (as opposed to say, a buddhist). jesus, son of man, has humanity, makes mistakes, but is open-hearted enough to learn and enlarge his heart. christ is a good model for me to follow.
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Amen, honey.
i'm so white, i'm an episcopalian for crying out loud!
That's pretty funny. Here in Panamá la Iglesia Episcopal is considered a Black Church!
The more time you spend with those who are different from you, the more you discover that they aren't so different.
I took in someone in this situation, and it was such a blessing. She was a fine young person beneath the pain of her situation, and she blossomed, and her whole life took off. What hurt was that she didn't want to keep in touch over the years, though she never gave me anything but warmth and appreciation. Just that she had her own friends and culture. I had to let go, but I am so glad I did have the blessing of being able to help her.
It will quite possibly take you to the wire, but don't be afraid. :0)
I am a foster mom that ended up adopting a little girl. I had all those questions that you asked too. Our parenting classes were for 100 hours though! It was VERY helpful!
It's the hardest thing I have ever done, but it has been the biggest blessing of my life.
My advice is once you get your child(ren) to stay in contact with the foster parent association in your area. They have been a wealth of information, tips and support that I could not do without!
Blessings on your journey!
Sitting quietly in the early morning here, two thoughts occur to me that might help with networking and friendship. Didn't there used to be - maybe still is - a small order of Sisters who not only took in but adopted HIV young people? I have the thought they were possibly catholic, and in California. The other thought is of TLC, The Love of Christ, in South Africa. http://www.tlc.org.za/
A woman called Helen Carter volunteers there. She is in UK until March, but they probably have a facebook group. Just a thought. I know that the woman who runs that has adopted alongside the work she does.
Warmest blessings, E.
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