What? You guys thought that I dropped being a social worker and just became a grieving person trying fad diets? Is that what you thought?
I don’t write about my job often, however, my post on being a foster parent is still one of the most clicked-on posts on my blog. Funny thing. I hope it’s helpful to those finding it.
I want to get back to writing about foster parenting and foster care. That’s the aspect of social work I work in right now. I love what I do. What I do is hard work, however I have a special place in my heart for the children and families I work with. What I do is hard, what foster parents do day in and day out is 100 times harder, and the lives my kids have led is 1000 times harder. Those are the reminders that keep me going when my job is hard.
The reason I don’t write about my job often is because I struggle with how to write about it. I so wish that I could tell my kids stories. But those are their stories, and they need to find their own way to tell them. I hope one day that they can, and that brings healing to my kids.
I think, though, that writing about what foster care is, what it isn’t, what I do, what I don’t do, etc., may be a good place to start.
I often read Baggage. She is a foster parent and has an awesome, honest perspective. She recently posted asking if folks have questions about foster care. I’d love to know the same- do you have questions? What would you want to know from a social worker? Hopefully this will give me a way to start talking about what I do and love.



4 comments
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June 24, 2007 at 9:34 am
Lisa (former foster child)
As a former foster child and current youth advocate, I welcome your feedback on the issues I discuss on my blog anytime:
http://sunshinegirlonarainyday.blogspot.com/
Since I know firsthand what it feels like to be a child in care, I also try to balance it by asking insights from social work professionals, so that I can get a sense of the “big picture.”
Lisa
June 24, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Julie A Paine
Paige, where have you been? We have missed you at the blog, girl. Come on over to WAIWMIWLI and check on in.
Jules
August 5, 2007 at 9:42 am
pinkemeralds
Congrats on writing about this HARD job. I am also a foster care social worker, i use to be a CPS social worker but I needed a change. I thought I would have less stress but it’s just a different kind of stress. I also wanted to write about what “we” do but HOW? Some people couldn’t even image the things we deal with daily…
I’m not sure if you are a foster parent or not. I happen to be a foster parent. So I get to see the system and it’s goods and bads on both sides. However, the “bads” are not intentional or horrible, that’s why I love my job. It takes a unique person to do what we do.
September 18, 2007 at 8:43 am
The Blogger
Thax for this. I am a CPS social worker myself, with a case-load of crown wards. I love what I do, but it can be rough. I don’t blog about my work at all. I’d love to, because it is what I love and what I do all day, and because there are os many misconceptions about what we do (and even more so when I was in investigations)…but I am always fearful of the ramifications at work of blogging about my work.