You are a young child. Because of neglect or abuse, you no longer live with your parents and have only infrequent visits with your siblings. Your world view is so narrow that you are not even quite sure what happened, what went wrong. You are constantly on the move, repeatedly shuttled to a new home and school a dozen times by the age of ten. And every time you are uprooted, all of your belongings can easily fit into a single garbage bag... This is the typical life of a foster child.
The future of these children often remains as unclear as their pasts. Some eventually return to their biological families, while others are adopted. Sadly, many remain in the system for years with broken hearts, unanswered questions, and pieces of their lives scattered like confetti among the many steps along the way.
Life books were developed in the late 1950s. Created by social workers and caregivers, these books are given to children who had entered the foster care system. The intent was to help each child sort out difficult feelings and maintain precious family memories.
Copyright 2005.The Journey of Me, LLC. All rights reserved.
