Family Matters

I didn't blog last week, but I hope that this can make up for both weeks. I've really been thinking on the topic a lot lately! 

So this Spring Break instead of going on an actual vacation I decided to just head to my hometown and hang out with my parents. Which pretty much meant I went home, slept a lot, and ate more than I needed too. But it was otherwise a great time and I really enjoyed being home with my family and getting to spend time with my foster siblings. Hanging out with them really got me thinking about how important a family is in shaping a child and I really was sad that these children don't always have the best support systems. So that is what I would like to talk about, the importance of family support.

I come from a very large central and extended family who are a huge part of my life. Growing up I knew that there were always people around who cared about me and wanted what was best for me. My parents are awesome people and have always provided my brother and I with any and everything we ever needed or wanted. Mind you, we weren't spoiled, but blessed with parents who did their best to raise us. We played city league sports, and participated in tons of extracurricular activities in school. Our parents really pushed AJ and I to try our best in everything we did, and to never give up on something that you really wanted. All of this being said, I know that compared to many others I lived a fairly stress-free life growing up and didn't ever worry about much until 2009 whenever my mom's mother got cancer. Cancer comes with a lot of worry and sadness, but as a family we stayed strong while she was with us, and even now that she is no longer on earth. I know that no matter what I always have a family to run to when I am down, and someone that will catch me if I'm falling. 

My parents recently became foster parents, and this has been a new experience for my whole family. Of course we all have been loving and excepting of the children, but when my parents first said they wanted to do this, I was kind of lost. So when my mom and I finally had a time to really talk about it, she told me all the reasons she wanted to do foster care. She brought up my childhood and how she wanted to be able to be good parents to children who needed it. This answer made me realize that there were so many children that come from homes not like my own, and this really did hit me hard. It was hard for me to imagine that not everyone had wonderful parents like my own, or awesome extended family members who were there for them at any moment. Now that my parents have children in our home I do the best I can to show them what a loving, caring family is like. We have mainly smaller children, 5 and under so they are not as affected as older children but it is still noticeable. They have their moments whenever they cry for their parents, or act out because they just came home from a visit. My heart always aches when I see them hurting because I know that none of this is their fault, but they are too young to understand the situation. In these scenarios I feel a little lost because I can not relate with the children, but can only hope that the few comforting things I do will show them that I am trying. 

This break with my family has reminded me of how much I love them, and how much I love that we have become a foster family. Even though some days are tough, and the kids don't warm up as fast as we thought, there are still those few shining moments that happen.