Updates on Ann, Miss E and Jackie
I just spoke with Mandy about Olivia coming over in a couple of days, and I got the scoop on some of the girls.
Jackie is struggling along in her first year of independence. She came home to Mandy for Christmas. She is still suffering under the delusion common to adolescents in foster care: that at 18 they are adults who should be able to take care of themselves. Forget that most young people are supported by their parent at college or actually continue to live with their parents for years past that. Ah well, Jackie will come around and accept help...
...as apparently Miss E has. I don't know exactly what that means, but she was spotted at the agency's Christmas party and her social worker reported reassured someone that she had agreed to accept help even though she is 18. And it turns out that she reported her last foster family for abuse -- just as she had every other family she ever lived with. It makes me sad because I know she believes what she reports. When Mandy said, "I love you, " Miss E experienced it as a clumsy attempt at emotional manipulation.
And Ann not only sent Mandy a Christmas card, she telephoned her. Ann expects to graduate on schedule this spring. Mandy, who parented her for 7 1/2 years of her life, is thrilled that Ann wants to be back in contact. Mandy said when someone asked Ann who she was talking to she said, "My mommy."
And that's the news.
i dont know where you live but it occurred to me i might have a resoruce for you. i have a friend, a survivor of the foster care system and a first mother who has worked professionally as a youth advocate for the youths you are talking about here. My friends job was to form programs, provide assistance, to those that had aged out of foster care with life skills, job application training, housing, education loans and application, etc. Her primary client base was in the age of 18-23 I think? She also worked with handicapped clients.
ReplyDeleteif she can ever help with anything, let me know. i know she would do anything she could for any foster care child/survivor (is that the right word? sorry. not meaning to be offensive but do you "graduate", survive, age out? I dont know)