When you think of foster care, adoption, or abandonment do you think of an orphan? A kid without a home? Maybe something different, but what you’re thinking about may be different than what it really means.

Foster Care 

Foster care is what happens to kids when their parent/parents have child neglect or child abuse. Then, you go into foster care. What happens is that you are placed with somebody that has taken classes to help you. They are called foster parents. You will be taken care of like a normal child, maybe a little bit different, but while in foster care no one can post pictures of you, for safety reasons. What happens after a while your parent/parents will get you back, or you will be adopted. 

Adoption 

Adoption takes place when somebody legally becomes your guardian. They sign papers and may change your name. Then you will be adopted and you will have a new family. It will either be a very happy time, or not. Some children, when adopted, may still get abused by their adopted family, but, most of the time, you are put with a safe family.

Abandonment

Abandonment is not something to laugh about. It is really serious, but it has its bright sides too. Abandonment is when your parents or parent leave you.

It may be hard to overcome your abandonment issues. Abandonment’s good sides are meeting or having new parents. You are not always abandoned because your parents don’t want you, but sometimes they don’t have their life together. Leaving them to not be able to care for you, then leaving them to a choice of either putting you up for adoption or abandoning you. 

You can then be put with a caretaker or with a guardian. A guardian is someone who is a person who is legal to care for you and then that person cares for you and helps with education etc. Then you may stay with that guardian until you are 18 years old, or your parent or parents may go to court to get custody of you. If that happens and the judge gives your parent or parents’ custody, you will either see them on the weekends or weekdays, or you might go and live with them.

When you get put into foster care, you are normally safe. You may get adopted or abandoned, but everything works out in the end eventually.