As of the time I am writing this, a live musical version of Annie was recently staged on NBC for the holiday season. The story of Annie, the orphaned girl, has been a part of our culture for almost 100 years. When Annie debuted in 1924, she was a comic strip character. The comic strip ran from 1924 through 2010, having run through several wars and saw many changes in American society. Notably, orphanages have all but disappeared in the United States. In many other countries, orphanages still do exist, but to the detriment of the children living in them. Conditions are poor, both physically and emotionally. We understood that and transitioned children into the foster care system, or "group homes." Still, we have a large population of children 18 and under who for numerous reasons find themselves as wards of the state. According to child advocacy group Children's Rights, some 443,000 children are in a foster care setting on any given day in the United States. As of 2019, more that 71,000 children whose parents lost permanent custody of their children were waiting to be adopted. Parents lose custody of their children, whether temporarily or permanently, based on their ability to care for their children in the most appropriate manner without being abused or neglected. Children are not taken in haste. They have to be subjected to horrendous physical or sexual abuse, a substance abuse problem, or severe neglect. But such cases do exist. My first experience with a foster child was one of my best friends in junior high, "Linda." I met her in seventh grade. She lived with a very kind family who regularly fostered children. I did not know this when I first met her. She was always talking about her brothers and sisters, and I remember commenting on what a large family she had. It was then that Linda explained that they were not her real brother and sisters; they were her foster brothers and sisters. Little by little, Linda shared the story of how she came to live with her foster family. She grew up in a large city on the I-95 corridor and was taken into the foster care system at around the age of nine or ten. Because it is not my story to tell and I value confidentiality, I will not discuss why she was taken into foster care. Suffice it to say, the reason was awful. No child should ever have to deal with what she had to. Sometimes Linda was difficult to get along with. But that is most children and teenagers. Truth be told, the friend that was supposed to be my "best friend" was much worse. And Linda would be fine the next day. She didn't carry out grudges or drama. Linda and I went to school for two years before her parents decided to put her into a different school. I am not sure why, except for the other school had a better academic reputation. I lost a bit of contact with Linda around that time, but we tried to stay friends. Linda went without any contact for a while, and then I got a phone call from her. She went from her foster home into a large group home for girls in this area. Linda was not allowed to see anyone. She went to and from school, and that was it. I really do not know why she left her foster home. It was never understood. But I do know that her foster parents were stable people and it sounded like a much more hospitable environment than the group home. Linda told me stories of daily fights between girls, a lot of bullying and harassment, and even a resident emptying out someone's hairspray and replacing it with urine. It is no wonder that children who grow up in the foster care system or as wards of the state yearn for anything better than they have.
In 1978, the television show Diff'rent Strokes debuted. A wealthy New York City businessman became the guardian of his late housekeeper's two sons who lived in Harlem. It was a lighthearted comedy, but it was also a fantasy. Two young boys who were orphaned were whisked away to a luxury penthouse apartment by a wealthy man who cared about them, took care of their needs, and provided a life that children of limited means would ever dream of. A few years later, in 1982, the comic strip Annie was adopted into a feature length movie. A young, ragged orphan girl in New York City would be rescued by a wealthy man, Daddy Warbucks. While the plot of Diff'rent Strokes was not directly tied to Annie, the two show similarities. Orphaned children were rescued out of a life of poverty by a wealthy man and lived happily ever after. A year or two later, a sitcom called Punky Brewster debuted on NBC with the same premise, only set in modern-day Chicago. The fantasy of children being plucked out of a difficult, impoverished life by wealthy men apparently had high entertainment value. The reality is that the Willis boys, Annie, or Punky Brewster would not be rescued by wealthy men. They would be released into the foster care system with hopes for the best. The good news is that while they may not have the wealth of a Mr. Drummond or Daddy Warbucks, there are good families who are willing to take in foster children and provide the stability they need. But some do not. I have read countless stories of foster children being treated as second class members of the family. They were not allowed to sit with the nuclear and biological family members during holiday get togethers; they are often made to carry their meager belongings from one home to the next in garbage bags. Some get moved in and out of different homes for a variety of reasons. And their lives after the foster system can become difficult. There is a concept called the "Foster to Prison Pipeline" which describes the high number of foster children who ultimately end up in the criminal justice system. Death at a younger age is a higher outcome than those who are in a nuclear family. Only three percent of children who grow up in foster care go on to receive a college degree, according to Foster Club. Also, according to statistics gathered by Foster Club, over seventy percent of girls growing up in foster care will become pregnant by the age of 21. My friend Linda had a similar outcome. She was 23 when she gave birth to her first child, but the father of that child was accused of murder. The father of her second child was murdered. She did have a third child, but I haven't heard from her in quite some time. However, I do know that child had behavioral problems. Linda attended a few classes at community college but does not have a degree. She bounced around from job to job but did rely on public welfare benefits as a younger adult. In short, Linda always struggled.
I know that I would have fantasies of a loving family adopting me if I had a life like Linda or any other children in foster care. Sadly, these systems are woefully underfunded and lack much needed oversight. Most of the time judges or social service workers take a look at things on the surface and pronounce a child to be in acceptable circumstances. But there is so much more to the story. Children who are most at risk in our society are still among its most neglected. A judge cannot take the time to determine if a child's needs are truly being met. An overworked social services worker only has a little time to devote to each child on their caseload. Some families mean well and truly care; others are in it for the pay that comes along with a foster child and do not provide anything beyond basic physical needs. There will not be a Mr. Drummond or Daddy Warbucks for the majority of
In this holiday season, take a moment to think of those children who will be in a foster home for the holidays. Whatever spiritual practice you follow, send them a prayer or love. You probably cannot be a wealthy person who can rescue them. And because they are in a family setting, you likely cannot donate to a charity which will help them directly. But if you know a foster family, consider even buying a child or the children in that family a gift. Sometimes they just need to feel special, that someone cares about them. That someone cared enough to buy them a gift. Foster children desperately need dignity. If you are able, be a mentor. Ultimately, advocate for them by calling for your lawmakers at each level to properly fund child welfare programs. No, there are no easy solutions to our foster care crisis. And no, there are not enough wealthy millionaires who will adopt all of the foster children who need a home. The care and cure lie within everyday people. Be that person.
For more information:
Foster Care - Children's Rights (childrensrights.org)
Foster Care Statistics - Child Welfare Information Gateway
6 Quick Statistics On The Current State of Foster Care – iFoster
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