Many of the descriptions used for foster children are negative, so we wanted to find some positive traits that will serve to inspire current and former foster children to cultivate these traits and use them to create bright futures for themselves. This week, we are focusing on words like courageous, brave, and daring.
So, why do we consider foster children to be courageous, brave, and daring? One reason, is that even in the face of something that would terrify most adults (being removed from all that is familiar and everyone they love, and put in strange surroundings with strangers), most foster children simply make the best of it and continue to learn and grow. That's not to say that there aren't struggles that occur during this effort, but the fact that they so strongly make that effort is impressive and just proves their bravery and courage.
Another reason is that even after foster children have become adults, many don't even wish that they'd never been in foster care, though they may try to change the situation for other young people in those situations in the future... Rather, they accept it as taking them to where they are now, and therefore an important piece of themselves. I know that I would not be who I am today if I hadn't been in foster care. It pushed me to become brave and courageous.
The thing about being brave is, it doesn't come without the absence of fear and hurt. Bravery is the ability to look fear and hurt in the face and say "Move aside, you are in the way."
- Melissa Tumino
So, we've covered brave and courageous... But just how are foster children daring? Well, you see, many foster children find themselves empowered by being removed from a bad situation. No longer living in fear, and having lost the worry of hurting or offending a loved one, many become pretty outspoken and great advocates for themselves and others they deem in need of their help. For a child, this is a very big deal. It is very risky and daring. They don't know what will happen, but they speak up anyways.
Even those who are not outspoken and advocates in childhood, often realize once they are adults that they have more power than they realized (or recognize the need to take their power back) and begin to advocate for other children in their previous situations. Even as adults, this is a daring move, because there's still a bit of stigma attached to being a foster child, and they have no way of knowing where the stigma will crop up and how it will affect them.
So, the next time you think about foster children, replace some negative attributes with BRAVE, COURAGOUS, and DARING!
Please come back on May 8th to read Positive Things About Foster Kids, Part 2: Unique, Creative, and Dreamers.