It was their very first visit, and Jan was a bit nervous about the plans she had made to take Chase to the library, as his Foster Mom had informed her that he had been in time-out at school 16 times that week!
Jan was pleasantly surprised by his behavior during their time together. Chase was a perfect gentleman! He consistently said “please” and “thank you”, and asked several times if she was enjoying her time with him. After they had checked out a coup
le of books to read together during their next visit, Jan brought Chase back to the home of his foster parents. While walking up to the door, Chase asked, with a hopeful look on his face, if he had been a good boy.
“You’ve been fantastic,” she told him.
“Good,” he replied with excitement, letting out a big sigh of relief. “You can write a note to the judge and let him know so that I can go home sooner.”
An overwhelming majority of children who have been removed from their family home as a result of abuse and neglect want desperately to return to their parents. It is not uncommon for a child to blame him or herself for being removed, as the experiences are often internalized, leading to overwhelming shame, self-loathing, worthlessness, fear, and disgust.