Foster Parenting Has Its Rewards

The day after a story appeared in the newspaper revealing a chronic shortage of foster homes for abused and neglected children, 40 people called a local social service agency office asking how they could help. All were told of an orientation meeting the following day. But only four actually showed up.

Maybe the notice was too short. Maybe people had other plans. Maybe, with another day to think about it, the idea of caring for an unpredictable, often-angry child proved too much for some people.

That’s understandable. Foster parenting is not for the weak of heart. Children are being taken from homes where drug and alcohol abuse are the norm, where affection and communication are scarce. One social worker says the children being placed in foster homes today are far worse off emotionally than troubled children of 10, even three years ago.

Foster parents deal with everything from cold, distant stares to violent rages. They risk a lot in taking these children into their homes. So why do it?

There are two reasons.

The emotional: Because these children, many of them infants and toddlers, need help. As a community, it’s our duty to pitch in if we can.

The practical: Because these children, without help, could grow up to be Spokane’s juvenile delinquents. They could become our high school dropouts, our homeless, our future addicts. But with early intervention, they can be helped now, put back on the right track with the love and guidance they need.

Of course, it’s not that simple. Raising a child never is, whether the child is yours or someone else’s, troubled or not. But the state of Washington’s Office of Children and Family Services helps out. It provides an orientation meeting and six night classes. Once you’re a foster parent, there are social workers you can turn to for help; there’s a rap line, help in managing stress and a respite program when you need a break.

There’s a stipend, too, though any foster parent will tell you it’s nothing to get rich on. Foster parents do what they do for love, not for the cash.

But there are rewards. Last week, one foster mother saved an infant by administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation because she was there to hear the baby’s medical monitor sound off. Dozens of teenagers, failing in school, experimenting with drugs, have turned their lives around and now embrace life rather than dreading it.

Foster homes can do that. They provide stability, structure, role modeling and, most of all, love for children who need it.

Now, we just need enough foster homes to go around.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Anne Windishar/For the editorial board