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The Fostering Journey

Isaiahs' story

By AriPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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This is a story about my mothers' second foster child. I'll be referring to this child as Isaiah to protect his identity.

In May of 2021, my mother received a call about the placement of a five-year-old boy named Isaiah. Isaiah is adorable to look at, though he didn't look well taken care of when he arrived; his hair was very wild, and his clothes were too big for his little body. Nevertheless, we were excited to have a new foster child and were looking forward to getting to know him; little did we know what kind of trouble he'd be.

Isaiah appeared as a sweet child. He'd always make it seem like he wanted to be good but didn't know how and to an extent, he didn't know-how. Isaiah had come to us with absolutely no home training. I can genuinely say that I was astounded by how little he knew; it's nightmarish trying to train a five-year-old on how to act his age. Now, my mother had bought a brand new dresser and nightstand set for the foster room shortly before Isaiah came to stay with us. About two horrible weeks went by when my mother had discovered yellow stains on the outside of the nightstand. Seeing the stains made her check the inside of the nightstand to find more stains inside. Isaiah had been peeing in/on the nightstand. I couldn't believe it. Words cannot describe how shocked and disgusted we were. I have babysat children his age and had never dealt with anything like this. I wanted Isaiah gone! Badly!

My mother felt that God wanted Isaiah with us for a reason, so she decided to keep him. But, unfortunately, Isaiah made peeing in his room a habit; he had escalated to peeing in the dresser and trash bin. So my mother had to throw out the nightstand/dresser set and the trash bin hoping the room would smell better, with no luck. The more I saw Isaiah, the angrier I got; I had no idea it was possible to not like a child. Isaiah had also made a habit of hitting our chihuahua. I couldn't wrap my head around how a child could be so bad. Who could get so much joy from harming animals? When we question Isaiahs' actions, he never has a clear answer; He always says, "I didn't WANT to hurt the dog" or, "I Didn't WANT to pee in my room." It also doesn't help that the child has poor speech. I know we shouldn't expect to get "normal" children; of course, foster children will have some problems. They've been through some hard times. What sucks is how common these incidents are; this is the kind of stuff they don't prepare you for at orientation.

Isaiah has a bad eating habit; he'd always talked about how hungry he was and when his next meal was. My mother constantly fed him; I felt for the poor child, but sometimes I wish he was someone else's problem. Having Isaiah had been an adjustment for the household: we had constant reminders that he turned out this way because of his parents. My family and I believe that Isaiah may be on the spectrum or have some special needs, which has made him being here more difficult. My mother has expressed her concern to Isaiah's social worker, and he's now in therapy. However, I don't think therapy is going to help since it's once a week. I feel that Isaiah needs a lot of help, possibly even some type of medication, if necessary.

Isaiah has been with us for about four months and has seen his parents once; His parents have made no other form of contact. A few times, Isaiah has gone to see his parents, and they no-called, no-showed. I have formed some not-so-lovely opinions about Isaiah's parents; What type of person stands up their child? I have mixed feelings about Isaiah; I know it's not his fault he turned out this way, but he can be a pain; Isaiahs' gotten better with some things and worse with others; For example: Hitting the dog. Isaiah makes sure nobody's around before he hits the dog, and he's escalated to hitting other children; Isaiahs' gotten better about listening, and he no longer relieves himself in the bedroom.

When Isaiah got here, I had no idea how to deal with him; I didn't want to be at home because it was uncomfortable. I progressed so much in dealing with him, and while the experience has been stressful, it's also been educational. I want to give a shoutout to all of the foster parents out there; you are appreciated. If anyone is reading this that wants to become a foster parent or is in the process, I'd suggest reading forums from other foster parents or watching YouTube. You could also keep a lookout for more stories from me, as I'll be keeping updates on Isaiah and other children who enter our home.

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About the Creator

Ari

My name is Ari. I am an amateur writer who likes to tell stories others can relate to. I also like to write sci-fi, horror, and fantasy stories.

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