No Sense of Security

Everyone deserves to have a sense of security as a human being. The interview done by NPR of former foster kid Andrew Bridge touched me. Think about what a child needs in order to not only grow up but grow up well. One of the most important is not always the one someone thinks of right of the bat, a sense of security.

To go through a childhood with no sense of security is like feeling like there's always a part missing. Having that kind of empty feeling, mixed with confusion, anger, and fear is what most foster kids go through. DHS workers basically have the license to legally kidnap. "...Wade reminded her that, with or without legal permission, a little boy would never be hard to steal" (Bridge).

Not having a permanent, safe home and caregiver can confuse a young child. Millions of problems, especially psychological, can sprout from not having a sense of security. A developing child needs to know that there's always going to be a known and trusted person there for them, to support them. In foster care a child is ripped and shuffled from home to home, caregiver to caregiver. Therefore, foster care can't provide the sense of security a child yearns for so much.

A child should be worrying about when they'll get the next new Barbie or action figure. Living in constant worry of where and who they'll be with next, is something any child can't and should not have to deal with while growing up. "Someday, someone may come to take you" (Bridge).

Bridge, Andrew. “’Hope’s Boy’ a Memoir of Childhood in Foster Care.” Npr. Interview. 27 Feb. 2008. Hope’s Boy. Radio. 19 Feb 2011.