[tpakra]

Its about foster care and adoption today....wonderful so far!!!

[AmyAnne]

I missed it! Anyone care to give a quick recap?

[SchmennaLeigh]

Basically Rosie is helping promote the current foster care situation with help of photolistings, the personal stories of families she met on the cruise and the Heart Gallery.



So far, it's been wonderful.

[foster_bub]

we recorded the program and just watched it. Very dissapointing if you ask me. The show was dedicated on how to become foster parents and foster care to adoption success stories.

Just once I'd like these people and programs address the problems with foster care. It makes my blood boil that NO ONE will discuss the problems and find solutions on how our foster children are constantly let down.

[jolean12]

I can certainly understand your frustration but we need to find great families for the thousands of children that are waiting for a permanent family. I am a foster and adoptive parent and I know that there are way to many issues with the system. I am now watching it and will see what they talk about.

[tpakra]

Yes, we do need to talk about the changes that are needed in the foster care system, however, I think this show was great in opening the eyes to the general public about how to be foster parents. If the system doesn't have foster parents, then there isn't really anything to reform. I think both Rosie and Victoria Rowell did a great job telling their stories and urging people to become involved.

[foster_bub]

I agree with you both that the concept was great but it could have gone further.

This show didn't help the 5 year old boy we were trying to adopt that the system said would be better off in an orphanage because someone didn't follow the correct process.

My wife and I have no regrets doing what we're doing, but had I known that the system was THIS messed up I would NEVER have fostered.

Not to mention Rosie parading the gay couples around. It's a slap in the face to the THOUSANDS of gay couples that would love to adopt but it's not legal in the state they live in. Why didn't she bring that up? She's so pro gay everything, I'm shocked she didn't bring that up.

The list is HUGE of what the show could have covered. Why spend only 1 hour on foster care when they could have spent a complete week (5hrs) when they kept saying November is national adoption month. They spend ONLY an hour on such a HUGE topic. Pathetic if you ask me.

[tvs4]

Yep there are tons of problems but honestly, you can't expect a TV show that is designed for entertainment to really try to tackle the problems of the foster care "system" in the country. There isn't even one system but hundreds!

These shows are to make people feel good. That is their job. not dive into deep policy issues. They did their job.

[shy_bear]

I think there should be tons done to promote adoption from the foster care system, but on the other hand these shows always make it seem like you walk in the door, do some classes, have a study done, and poof you have a family. We have been trying unsuccessfully since Feb. to have a correct study done and begin the waiting game. It is not a walk in the park, the cw's are overworked!!!

I did not catch the show this morning, did they talk about the these are not typical kids, they have problems. I think a lot of these shows present these kiddos as the average American kid and then family's walk into all of this blind.

[SchmennaLeigh]

The show wasn't meant to tackle change. It was meant to be a catalyst in families adopting waiting children, encouraged by success stories and the photographs from the Heart Gallery.

The View achieved that today.

[coopspa]

I'm pretty sure the intent of the show was to raise awareness of the fost/adopt concept. I know a lot of people had no idea that this was an option when we started. I think they did an excellent job of that. I don't think they would have helped the cause of promoting ADOPTION if they went into all the dirty details of foster care. If this helps even one child get into a stable, loving, permanant home, they have my heartfelt thanks!!!

[coopspa]

Oops! Schmenna beat me to it!

[foster_bub]

So what you're saying is 'trick' people into becoming foster parents. So it's okay to have these wonderful 1 hour shows showing all the success stories without covering the challenges that are involved?

IMHO this show will actually cause more problems than solutions. You'll see an increase in foster parents going throup training when not knowing what it really entails to do the job. They've been duped into thinking it's all peaches and cream when we all know it's very hard work.

It's going to be like the folks who adopt dalmations afer the release of a new 101 dalmations movie, or the folks who adopt black cats around holloween, rabbits at easter.. etc etc.. They do it because it's cute and it seems like the right idea at the time. Then the dogs, bunnies and cats get neglected and/or put back into a shelter when the owners lose interest.

They need to address the baggage that comes with these children. We all know it's not a cushy job to be a foster parent, that's what this show made it out to be. Attend some training and get a cute cuddly kid! That's not how it works.

[shy_bear]

Foster_bub I could not have said it better!!!!!!

[Boulderbabe]

How do you know these kids "come with baggage"? You have no idea what problems they do or don't have. While it is true that many foster kids do have emotional and behavioral problems, not all of them do by any stretch of the imagination.

I don't think a show aimed at recruitment needs to have full disclosure. Do I think that there needs to be full disclosure before a kid is placed? You bet. But that can be done in group training and during the homestudy process.

Besides, what is it that you weren't told when you signed up for foster care? I don't know about you, but there haven't been any surprises for me. Not a single one. Do I like the system? Not always. Do I think that at least here in Boulder, they're doing the best job they possibly could? Yes, I do.