I remember the day very clearly; just after finishing dinner several cop cars that were escorting an emergency child protective services worker pulled up to the house. The worker had gotten the go ahead for removal about a half hour earlier based on a complaint that was later found to be unsubstantiated. But due to our household falling in the highest risk category from prior complaints, the state is required by law to visit immediately. And while that specific complaint wasn’t substantiated, after entering the home, the police officers and social worker became witnesses of my daily life, which could be compared to that television series about hoarding.
Over the rest of my adolescence, my grades lowered from a 3.9 GPA to a 1.8 upon graduation. Rubble of burnt bridges appeared and broken relationships became the norm due to the fear of getting close to people after being let down by the closest people I’d known. I had several run-ins with the law, including ending up in jail on a 5151 (mental health check). The list could go on and on.
Foster care taught me that “nothing lasts forever.” Whatever you have can be gone in the next moment. For example, my friends and education were lost to me after having to change high schools multiple times. Foster care also taught me the flip side, the notion that whatever it is that you’re experiencing, including the bad, will also come to an end. To have a great life one must be willing to experience what it means to truly be on the roller coaster that life is; to experience your highest highs and your lowest lows. The higher the risk the greater the fall.
That clean slate is why I’m grateful for foster care and everything that it was; it brought me to where I am, and through the people and experiences along the way, foster care gave me the choice to be who I am today, knowing that tomorrow I may not be the same person.
To read more of Josh Elizondo's article, please click here.
Comments (0)