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Foster Care Is About Family

Published on April 6, 2013 By Nicki Sanders

Every child deserves a loving supportive family.  I believe that the ultimate goal of the foster care system is to keep children and teens in a safe family structure. 

 

In honor of family and my birthday on April 8th, I am sharing with you my 8 favorite quotes about family.

 

  1. Family is not an important thing. It is the only thing. –Michael J. Fox
  2. I don’t think anyone has a normal family. –Edward Furlong
  3. My family is my strength and my weakness. –Aishwarya Rai
  4. In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future. _Alex Haley
  5. The family is the nucleus of civilization. –Will Durant
  6. I find the family the most mysterious and fascinating institution in the world. –Amos Oz
  7. Parents need all the help they can get. The strongest as well as the most fragile requires a vital network of social supports. –Bernice Weissbourd
  8. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. –David Ogden Steirs
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My Family Is Familiar

Published on January 18, 2013 By Nicki Sanders

We’re not a full month past the most celebrated holiday season and most of us have to admit that family celebrations can be stressful.  You may not have wanted to invite the sister who criticizes everyone, the uncle who challenges everyone to an arm wrestling match, the aunt who uses profanity at the dinner table, or the cousin who drinks too much.  Most of us invited them anyway.

 

Family bonds are powerful. Blood connections often leave us vulnerable and impressionable.  There is no such thing as a perfect family.  All families have disagreements, misunderstandings, secrets, and trials.  Different personalities, values, goals, ways of raising children, and any number of other differences can lead to difficulty within a family unit.  Many people are estranged from their families and go years without speaking or engaging with their relatives.  Some people set new boundaries and limit their contact while others can’t seem to break away and find themselves getting hurt repeatedly.    

 

 

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Every Youth In Foster Care Deserves What I Had

Published on July 31, 2012 By Nicki Sanders

I’m just as connected to my elementary school as I am to my senior high school.  I met two of my dearest friends there.  We are watching each other’s children grow up.  Through the wonders of social media I have reconnected with my Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten teachers.  (Yes, they still remembered me all these years later).

 

I am flooded with good memories each time I think of those years.  The majority of my elementary school classmates transitioned together to junior high school.  Junior High School is where I met my two best friends (who are my daughter’s God-Mothers).  We transitioned together to senior high school.

 

Even before the magic of social media, my tenth grade English and Social Studies teachers provided support and encouragement whenever I reached out to them.  I’ve come to realize that they will never fully understand the impact they have had on the person I have become.

 

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