[nanamom]

I have very strong feelings about Foster care and the children "in the system" so forgive me if I am on a soapbox for a moment. I ran a school that had several foster kids enrolled. Some of the families were obviously in it for the money. One young man ended up staying after school with me every day because that was the only way to keep him off of the streets because he was locked out until his foster "mom" got home. He never had lunch money or a lunch. Another was starved if he didn't get good grades or do his homework. On the other hand I had kids in their birth homes that were in similiar or worse situations. i have seen some really good foster homes and some terrible ones. I have seen the same with "birth homes" My DH and I are in the process of getting licensed as an adoptive home and therefore must foster any child (ren) for 6 months prior to completing paperwork. We know why some of the children are looking for a new home and it is scary what has been done to them. We have had to refuse a child because our DS#2 would not be safe in his presence (the child was 3) It is terrible what is out there and if your friend is truely interested in helping these children then wonderful. The money enables some to make foster care their career and I applaud them. If she works in a day care then it sound like she isn't in it just for the money but will use it to enable her to take care of a couple little ones while they wait to get a permanent home. My DH has asked that we foster when our current batch of little ones leave the nest.