This is going to be one of those times when my author life comes into this blog, because the book I'm currently researching/drafting has had a huge impact in my life.
See, it started off with me wanting to write a young adult novel about high school, specifically about how high school can sometimes suck, but will get better and has some bright spots. Okay, really it started off with me wanting to write a book about a 30 year old starting over in life, and she needed a back story, which would be the YA novel. That's not the point.
Except the main character for both books turned into a foster kid, and my life was turned upside down. I never really thought much about foster kids, I've met adopted kids in my life (my husband and his sister were each individually adopted, his cousin is adopted, my ex-bf's father was adopted, etc), but never really had personal interactions with foster kids.
Holy totally different world. I had a scenario in my head, 16 year old who was abandoned by her parents, drifted through a few foster homes in a few years, had a hard time, etc. Since I had no clue was what normal, I talked to a worker at my job who works with foster kids. Talk about eye opening. I left our first meeting feeling drained and broken, and utterly shocked and ashamed that there was a world of struggle I had never known about.
On an average day, 400,000 kids are in foster care. 400,000!! That's...I just...wow
11% of the children who exit the system "age-out", which basically means that they turn 18 and the state is no longer required to help them. I can't even wrap my head around it. 18 and no home to go back to, no parents to co-sign for an apartment, probably no job, probably no car, and a whole world of emotional insecurities and problems.
I've been reading many blogs about foster kids, the most informational being I Was a Foster Kid and they are breaking my heart. Being a kid is hard enough, but then you add in the struggles that these kids go through and it's no wonder that they feel lost and forgotten. They act out because they want to feel loved, because they don't feel loved, because they don't know any other way to be. Can you imagine having to learn a new set of rules every few months, being in a new house, a new bed, with new siblings/roommates? Can we really expect them to be stable? Think of how huge of a transition it was for many of us to go to college for the first time, and have the experience of roommates. Now do that several times a year, but you are between the ages of birth and 18.
So a lot of this has been swirling around in my head as I write about my character, 16 year old Alyssa who has been through hell and refuses to give in. And I hope that the book can be an eye-opener to those, like me, who just had no idea, and that Alyssa can be inspiration to others who are going through hell to just keep walking until you reach the other side.
Here are some links for those who are interested in fostering, adopting, or just want more information
ChildrensRights.Org
Adopt Us Kids
9 Ways to Help Children in Foster Care
Forever Family
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