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Foster Nation
@thefosternation

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Jasmine entered foster care twice, once at 11 and again at 14. She was most anxious about not knowing where she was going to go and was afraid of being separated from her siblings. Her foster mom would constantly talk down on Jasmine’s intelligence and her friends and family. She expected Jasmine to act like a “normal” teenager. She would make Jasmine feel small and belittled her learning disability, instead calling her stupid and lazy. Jasmine notes, foster kids are not like “normal” kids. Foster kids live in constant fear and instability. Many don’t know where their siblings are. Regular kids leave for a doctor appointment while foster kids leave for court. Regular kids get one-on-one time with their parents while foster kids have to have a stranger in their room supervising their interactions. There are many things her foster parents could have done to help her while in their home. She thinks that foster parents need to consider many things before parenting: - “Ask yourself: why you want to be a parent? It should be deeper than “I want to help kids in need.” - Find organizations and take advice from other foster youth about what it is like. - Please be PATIENT! The kids you take in have lived a long life for being so young. - Don’t get mad at us for having triggers or meltdowns over things that may seem small to you. A lot of us have learned behaviors that help us survive. These habits may take a long time to break. Many of us have put up a wall because of abuse and abandonment. - Don’t expect us to function like “normal” kids! - Talk TO them, not AT them. - Don’t talk negatively about their friends or family. 💛She is grateful to say that she does think that, ultimately, her foster care experience forced her to be a better student and care about grades. She realized her intelligence and is now excelling at a 4 year university! She recognizes how imposter syndrome has impacted her, but is proud of the determination she has put in towards her future. She is changing the statistic against foster youth! READ JASMINE'S FULL STORY VIA THE LINK IN OUR BIO! IF YOU WANT TO SHARE YOUR STORY, VISIT OUR #SPEAKUP PAGE. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!