by Rashell McKee

Ever wondered what it is like to be in the foster care system? Sometimes foster children feel judged by fellow students. However, often is not the fault of the children but of the parents that the children were removed from their home. What’s it like to be a foster parent or child?

Foster care is very restrictive. To become a foster parent, it takes a lot of patience. There are many processes to go through like background checks, fingerprinting, and paperwork. Potential foster parents also have to go through training. There is a shortage of foster parents in most places, so those who go all the way through the process deserve praise for sacrificing to fulfill the need for safe homes for children.

Children in foster care can be kept in the system until the age of 21. While in the system, the children have a lot of rules to follow. For example, they can’t spend the night at a friend’s house unless everyone in that house 18 and over has been fingerprinted and had background checks completed. Also, they can’t ride in the car with someone unless a copy of that person’s license and insurance is filed with the state.

Children have monitored phone calls and visits. They may not miss school without a court order unless they have a doctor’s note. Children in foster care often have limited time on the internet and usually are not allowed to carry a cell phone. Adult supervision is required even when hanging out with friends. Piercings, tattoos, or even haircuts and dyes have to be approved through the courts.

Being in foster care can be very hard. One thing we can all do is be supportive of foster parents and foster children. There are over 10,000 children in foster care just in the state of Missouri. Each of us can think of how our lives would be different in foster care and try to make life easier for those children in the system right now.