Illustration by Karolina Zaniesienko
I am a parent advocate at the Center for Family Representation (CFR) in New York City. CFR provides parents in child welfare proceedings a lawyer, social worker, family advocate, and parent advocate to support them.
Parents whose children were removed and put in foster care often feel like they can’t trust anyone. Many parents are victims of childhood abuse or domestic violence; some use drugs to deal with their pain. They’re … Read More
On Aug. 4, 1997, I got my sons back after they’d been in foster care and I’d been out on thestreets for many years. I felt that God had given me a second chance in life to be the best mom I could be.
I was determined to be different toward my sons than my mother had been toward me. My mother and I had a bad relationship when I was a … Read More
In the months before I got my sons home from foster care, I built a bond with my boys. I picked them up every other weekend and always had some- thing planned for us to do as a family. We went out to the movies, the beach, the pool, a museum or the library. Sometimes we would just stay home and play family games. I would also make them their favorite foods. But the one … Read More
