March 6, 2014
by Maralee
5 Comments
I recently wrote about some of the common misconceptions I hear about foster parenting and financial compensation. I work hard to help people understand the realities of foster care and I find it hard to do that in a climate … Continue reading
March 5, 2014
by Maralee
21 Comments
There are a lot of misperceptions out there about foster parents and money. The problem is that “good” foster parents know it’s taboo to talk about compensation, so there’s no way to clear up the confusion. We don’t want people … Continue reading
February 25, 2014
by Maralee
16 Comments
Foster parenting is a continual struggle to come to terms with our lack of control. While we are responsible for all the practical decisions that effect the child in our care, we have no control over the major decisions that … Continue reading
February 5, 2014
by Maralee
7 Comments
I am passionate about recruiting quality foster parents. No more of these people “in it for the money” (which is humorous when you consider the meager compensation amount the average foster parent receives). No more foster parents who are unkind … Continue reading
February 2, 2014
by Maralee
7 Comments
I held three of my squirmy, jostling children close to me as I read them a bedtime story the other night. I picked a favorite from my childhood, “The Velveteen Rabbit” by Margery Williams. I was a child that loved … Continue reading
January 24, 2014
by Maralee
19 Comments
It’s important to me to give people a realistic look at what foster parenting is like from my perspective. I don’t want anyone getting into this with the idea that it will be easy or smooth. Doing the right thing … Continue reading
January 16, 2014
by Maralee
4 Comments
I love when blog readers write to me. Seriously. It’s one of my favorite things. In the last week I had two women write to me to ask me about how to prepare their hearts for the eventual pain of … Continue reading
January 13, 2014
by Maralee
1 Comment
Okay, so “crack baby” is a ridiculous term, but it gets the point across. Kids who have been exposed to drugs or alcohol prenatally may be indistinguishable from your average non exposed child and you may not even know if … Continue reading
January 9, 2014
by Maralee
6 Comments
If you’ve pursued foster care or adoption, it is likely you’ve been faced with The Form. The Form may look different depending on your agency, but at some point you’re going to have to physically check off boxes indicating what … Continue reading
January 6, 2014
by Maralee
3 Comments
I love words. I like thinking about the origin and history of words, I enjoy learning new words, and using the correct word in a particular situation is really important to me. Which may be why something bothers me that … Continue reading