justice at what cost?

How do you prepare a severely emotionally disturbed eight-year-old to testify in court against her rapist? How do you tell her one day that you will protect her and keep her safe no matter what, and then the next day tell her that she will have to face the man who raped her repeatedly night after night over the course of months? Imagine that she already receives three kinds of therapy, that she's medicated for anxiety and that she has nightmares every night. Imagine that she is so traumatized that she can't even go to the grocery store without a panic attack/dissociative episode. How do you tell her that in less than three weeks her worst fears will come true?

makes me think

Nye County Sheriff's department is trying to identify a child in a video. Once again an adult male is doing unspeakable things to a girl and saving the images for posterity. When I first heard about the story and saw an image of the girl they're trying to locate it made me wonder if I would be able to recognize my own foster daughter at that age. We have no pictures of her from before the time she entered foster care two years ago.

grrrrrrrr

The wheels of justice move slowly. Today the man accused of abusing my foster daughter was supposed to go to trial. I see through the wonders of online information that once again the trial date has been rescheduled. This is the third time the trial has been rescheduled. I would really like to see a verdict, but hey it's only been two years, what's the hurry, right?

a second blog?

Do I really need a second blog? Has it come to this? Apparently so.

Sometimes there are things I would really love to write about my fostering experience but to post those comments on my primary blog would not be appropriate. I learn a lot by reading the blogs of other foster parents though so my hope is that someone may be able to learn something from mine.

I don't take babies or teens, and right now I don't take boys. I've heard stories of horrible abuse from the mouths of children in my care and though I thought I was wise to the ways of the world even I was shocked at some of the sexual abuse adults inflict upon children. I've been punched, kicked, scratched and spit upon. I've had furniture and appliances broken. I'm still here.