ANOTHER PLACE AT THE TABLE

A report from the trenches about what it’s like to be a foster parent.

Thirteen years ago, with three boys of their own at home, Kathy and Bruce Harrison decided to adopt two little girls Kathy encountered while working in a Head Start program. Part of the adoption process entailed foster-parenting training and certification; soon, Social Services began calling, begging the Harrisons to take in foster children for short-term placements. Some hundred children later, Kathy writes about her family’s journey. Miguel, a ten-month-old infant, needed an overnight placement after his teenage parents nearly beat him to death. One-year-old Shamika had been severely burned by her mother. The Harrisons also have their share of long-term foster kids, whose stories are even bleaker. Six-year-old Danny had been beaten and sexually abused his entire young life. As a result, he was dangerous, unpredictable, and resisted toilet training. Worst of all, he was a budding pedophile and could never be left alone with younger children; for this reason he was eventually removed from the Harrisons’ household and subsequent placements. Sara, another six-year-old, had the same grim past, and although she seemed more salvageable than Danny, that hope proved illusory; by the end, Sara is in a secure psychiatric facility, perhaps never to be released. There are some success stories, however. A sweet girl named Lucy who enjoyed birding went on to be adopted by a loving family after a stint with the Harrisons, who themselves adopted a third daughter, Karen, despite her host of medical problems. Kathy and Bruce lavished attention on these damaged and rejected children; they clothed, fed, and ferried the kids to sporting events, therapy, meetings with birth parents, and court, all for $15.00 per day. The Harrisons aren’t perfect—the author recounts her relief when Danny is finally removed from their care—but they certainly provide a desperately needed service.

Not easy reading, but an informative primer for those contemplating foster parenting.