Foster Care, Lock-up, Second Chances

          Hasn't your child asked for another chance, ad many times we give it to them. We all have our own parenting styles, some more strict, some less, and some who don't care at all. Those are the, parents for lack of a better word who never should have had children.
       Too many kids in foster care move around and each time they move they get a message, well a fresh start is good sometimes. How many fresh starts should they be allowed to have? Yet the problem comes up when a foster parent gives their notice which means that child has to move within thirty days. Giving notice is a last resort, I know. It's usually because the boy or girl is so destructive, foul-mouthed, disrespectful, steals, hurts other kids, trouble in the community hits the foster parent and many times much worse. Think it couldn't be worse? It can.
        Kids who come into foster care are usually there because of what the parents did or didn't do. Once a child is in foster long enough, sadly he or she, learns all about how to manipulate the system, and many times end up in residential housing.
Once that happens they get treated so differently than in foster care, yet many kids prefer residential, also known as Lock-up or lock down, not like detention at all, as they do get certain freedoms. Everything is accessible to them, a gym, a swimming pool, toys, outings, usually in the country somewhere, plenty of staff, good food and snacks as well. In many situations kids prefer that to foster care. WHY? In foster care you have to start living a life, to get used to being in a home hoping to get adopted. But when kids can't go back home they repeatedly mess it up for them selves. Yet their immature little minds tell them residential is better or some Lutheran, or Catholic Village type housing.
   The next time you meet a child who is in foster care, don't feel sorry for them, but ask how many times they have moved. That alone shows a pattern of behavior. They will not listen to nor respect adults. Ask this, how many second chances do you think you're entitled to? After all there will come a day when they reach eighteen and will wonder why they aren't prepared. Who will they blame then?
   I might sound callous, but I am only looking for more answers. If you think you can be a foster parent, please do, because who knows you may be who they are looking for, besides the parent who didn't fight for them, who didn't find them worth it.