Comments on: No options for residential mental health care

By: Nancy Spoolstra

Nancy Spoolstra — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:33:12 +0000

I’ve got some pee in my carpet here, too ….

By: Chromesthesia

Chromesthesia — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:14:27 +0000

Dr. Phil is talking about violent children. I doubt he will mention RAD.
It seems like the only way you can get action taken when it comes to thinks like that is to get Dr. Phil or Oprah to talk about it.

But they usually get it wrong.

By: scrapsbynobody

scrapsbynobody — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:14:40 +0000

I read Lindy’s comment, and a word popped out at me, though I am certain she didn’t intend it to. The word is SHAME. We should be ashamed as Americans, for the way we care for our wounded children. Our children were in foster care for most of their lives, and the vast majority of neglect, abuse, and trauma occurred there. I can get angry at a nameless, faceless system, but children weren’t meant to be raised by a system. I believe in my heart, that if my children had been left with their grossly incompetent birth mother, they would be more intact than they are now. But after eight years and eighteen Mamas, my eldest is here, and nothing is going to change it. All the while they were marketing these children to us, we were heroes. Now that we have them, and we are shining a spotlight on their need, we are suddenly the bad guys.

Sorry I have to cut this tirade short, but I have to go shampoo the urine out of the carpets in the van. I bet you’re all wondering how THAT got THERE! (not)

By: Lindy

Lindy — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:06:06 +0000

Unless it hurts you where you live, it doesn’t compute. It seems so simple to figure out for those of us who actually live it day in and day out; but, until people are inconvvenienced, hurt or annoyed enough by wounded kids and their families, nothing will change. It’s like a new story every time there’s a school shooting. What could have possibly gone wrong???? And to find out that the poor shooter was an adopted child who had been neglected, abused…you fill in the blanks, by their family of origin. Where oh where did the system fail them? The same questions are asked over and over again, yet no one listens to the answers. Those of us who live it have some answers. When people are ready to hear them, we will be more than happy to share. What a shame that little tiny bandages are being applied to huge, gaping wounds. The system continues to make the same stupid mistakes over and over and refuses to accept any responsibility for the damage being done to the children and their families AND society. We can have empty, new FEMA trailers sitting around years after Katrine, yet we can’t seem to provide necessary mental health support to foster and adoptive kids and their families who are suffering on a daily basis. What a screwed up world we live in. We would rather sit around and analyze to death the reasons why these kids hurt others instead of supporting them before they reach their limits. Maybe as a part of their training, social workers should be required to provide foster care to a RAD child for a minimum of six months before they can provide service to families. There’s nothing like a hands-on experience to educate a person.

By: NCOZADD@aol.com

NCOZADD@aol.com — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 04:49:33 +0000

ATN ought to have a sub group of Nancys, there are certainly enough of us to form one.

Nancy Bostock’s interviews were awesome! It will be interesting at the very least, and exciting to see what comes of her brave willingness to step up to the spotlight.

By: Chromesthesia

Chromesthesia — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 03:48:22 +0000

I’m like CHARGE! I want to grab the people in charge, put my foot on their necks and FORCE THEM TO START CARING.
This is a serious important issue.
i can’t think of anything more important than helping children who have been abused and neglected. You’d think the system would do everything in its power and understand that it’s the abusive parents, abusive orphanages, being placed from one foster home to the next that has contributed to this problem.
It’s common sense, why don’t they and the common man and woman get this? I’m not even a foster parent (yet) and I can see clearer how it all must be changed, so why can’t the politicians, religious leaders, all the people with the sort of power I don’t have recognize this?
Does it take violent crime to get them to open their eyes? It shouldn’t have to come to this because the system should have been fixed decades ago, it causes me pain to realise this stuff still happens and it’s worse than I knew when I was younger!
Is there some way to make folks STOP being ignorant?

By: scrapsbynobody

scrapsbynobody — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 03:12:57 +0000

We had four of Florida’s children…only three now. I can’t begin to comment on the ringer we have been/are going through. I am so tired and worn right now, that I can’t even imagine getting up to fight in the midst of it all. Just keeping mind and body together enough each day, to keep going and trying to meet everyone’s enormous needs, is all I can manage. I applaud anyone who is willing to put their neck out and try to advocate for change. But I also agree with a recent commenter, that folks outside the foster adoption community just don’t seem to want to know what is going on here. I guess ignorance IS bliss.

By: Nancy Spoolstra

Nancy Spoolstra — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:47:21 +0000

Yes, Bipette, OP area.

By: Bippette

Bippette — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:45:46 +0000

Nancy, are you in KS now? I live in the Wichita area.

By: Sunbonnet Sue

Sunbonnet Sue — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:17:21 +0000

here’s to hoping something changes soon. wonder if KS did a sad dance when you moved back?!