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#fostercare
justanothercmblog · 11 months
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One Last Chance?
This was written for the wonderful @imagining-in-the-margins family challenge for the months of April and May. I know I'm a little late but I only recently read this prompt that's also the summary and it really spoke to me! While writing I got really invested in the characters so I might write a couple more parts in the future!
Summary: Spencer and his wife have decided to foster a teenager.
Content Warning: foster care, neglect, foster sibling separation, minor mention of drugs, food & food insecurities. Please let me know if I missed something and I will add what's missing!
Word Count : 5.8k
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“Spencer, have you checked if the heater is on in their room, it’s freezing outside!” “Y/N, I have already told you, it’s warm in the guest bedroom, the thermostat is on too!” “It’s THEIR room, Spence, you need to check what you’re saying, if we want them to feel at home, we need to adjust our language too!”, Y/N chastised while she was running around their house trying to make everything look perfect, although there was nothing left to do. 
“Y/N, can you come here for a second?”, Spencer called out for his wife, softly catching her hand and tugging her closer to him, finally stopping her pacing. He took her other hand into his own and gently squeezed her hands. She looked up at him in confusion. “What is it? Did I forget something?” Spencer just smiled down at his beautiful wife. He knew she just wanted to be prepared for this new person who would join their little family any minute, but he also knew she’d run herself crazy trying to make everything right. 
“Y/N, everything is perfectly prepared for whoever will step through that door in the next hour. We are ready for them, we’ve got their room ready, your chilli is on the stove, we’ve put toiletries, extra clothes and towels out and got them more snacks than even I could devour in a week”, he listed and Y/N slowly but surely relaxed a little. “And most importantly my love, we are ready to support whoever will be joining us. You have so much love to give, anyone would be lucky to be on the receiving end of it. Whoever this kid is that will join us, they will feel that love and comfort just like I do whenever you’re with me.” 
Y/N had tears in her eyes now. “I just want them to feel welcome, who knows what they have been through”, she got out and Spencer pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. “I know my love. But all we can do now is take it one step at a time, okay? We’re prepared and it will be fine.” Y/N nodded into his embrace. 
She knew he was right, they were prepared. After having a lengthy talk, the two of them had decided that fostering was the right decision for them to expand their family. They both felt deeply that bringing a new life into this world when there were so many kids without homes, seemed like the wrong way to go for them. They both felt that family was so much more than genetics and biological relations, they knew that love made family and that they had so much love to give. 
The decision to welcome older kids into their home wasn’t as easy to make. Spencer had some apprehensions, finally telling Y/N that he felt like older kids and teens might not respond well to him and his quirks. It took him a while to see that his own experiences with teenagers from when he was a kid were entirely different from how they would respond to him now. Y/N had acknowledged and listened to his fears and after seeing the statistics on how many older kids never found a safe home and tended to age out of the system, Spencer felt entirely wrong for not giving these kids a chance of a safe haven with them. Given their work schedule, they even decided that they wouldn’t be able to take smaller kids and so now they were awaiting their first placement. The social worker had called half an hour ago and only told them that they had a 14-year-old in need of a new placement and that they were going to be there within the next two hours. They didn’t even know their pronouns nor their background but they already felt for the teen. 
The two of them only parted from their embrace when there was a knock on the door. Y/N’s eyes went wide as she stared up at Spencer. “Oh my god, they are here! Spencer, they are here!!!” “Let’s go meet them”, he smiled calmly although inside he was anything but calm. 
They opened the door together to find a middle-aged woman and, standing next to her, clutching a plastic bag, a girl with deep-green eyes, long unruly brown curls and a scared look on her face. Y/N quickly caught herself and stopped what she was sure was staring, at the girl. 
“Hi! Come in, come in, it’s so cold outside!”, she ushered the two to step into their home. “Thank you Mr and Mrs Reid for taking such a last-minute placement! Maggie is really happy to be here, aren’t you Maggie?”, the social worker gushed and Spencer could see the girl anxiously tightening her grip on her bag before she nodded. “Well why don’t we go to the kitchen and we’ll talk a little more!”, Y/N tried to ease the tension, but the social worker had other plans. 
“I’m really sorry, but I actually have to go run by another case of mine. Maggie should be fine with you for now, I will check back in tomorrow or one of these days if there are any more questions and send you an E-Mail with any information you might need, it’s the weekend so the school won’t be an issue until Monday!”, she rattled off leaving Spencer and Y/N to stare at her for a second before Spencer was the one to find his voice first. 
“Let me walk you to the door, I do have a couple of questions”, he said, stunned and led the woman to the door, leaving Y/N with the teenage girl in their kitchen. She watched her husband leave the room, stunned as well, before snapping out of it and taking a good look at the girl that was just dropped off at their house like it was nothing. 
“I’m sorry Maggie, let me do this again: I’m Y/N and that dorky guy with me is my husband Spencer. We’re really happy to have you here with us. Do you want something to drink? I’ve also got chilli on the stove if you’re hungry”, the woman explained but the girl just stared at her for a second before looking back at where Spencer and the case worker had disappeared to. “I know this is all but ideal right now, you deserve a better start than this, I’m sorry honey”, Y/N said softly and before the girl could react to her words they could hear the door shut and Spencer stepping back into the kitchen. 
“Sooo, why don’t we show Maggie her room, hm?”, he said encouragingly but Y/N could tell that he was angry. Clearly, the caseworker had not made the best impression on him. “Come on, Maggie, we’ll give you a house tour”, Y/N agreed and smiled at the girl encouragingly. The girl had yet to say a word but followed the couple up the set of stairs to the first story of their townhome. Spencer and Y/N let her look into each room up there, their bedroom, the bathroom in the hall which would be the teen’s and finally, they opened a door and let her step in first. 
Maggie found herself in a beautiful and warmly lit bedroom with a queen bed, a desk, a sideboard with a TV and a big basket filled with all sorts of stuff. The teen’s eyes grew wide as she took it all in while still clutching onto the trash bag in her hands. “This.. this is where I get to stay?”, she asked carefully with a slight stutter, looking back at the couple that was now standing in the doorway together watching her taking it all in. “Yes, of course! Help yourself to anything you want, there’s a couple of snacks and drinks and I have some stationery on the desk if you’d like to draw or write, oh and I have a couple of clothes in the closet too, I didn’t know what you liked of course so it’s just basics”, Y/N rambled along while Spencer watched the teen, clearly a little overwhelmed with it all. 
“I also got you this blanket”, Y/N ended her monologue, holding out a soft yellow blanket, still in its bow from buying it. She had heard that it meant a lot for foster kids to have new things that they could keep and Y/N thought there was nothing more comforting than a fuzzy blanket. Maggie just stared at the blanket for a second, still holding her bag with two hands, before she carefully let the bag down beside her and took the blanket that Y/N was holding out for her. “Thank you”, she breathed out quietly, feeling the soft fabric against her palm as she held the gift. A silence settled in between the three and it was Spencer who decided to give the teen a little room to process all of her emotions. He knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed like that and had also learned the circumstances of the girl’s emergency placement tonight. 
“I think we’ll leave you to settle in now. We will be right downstairs in the kitchen and you’re welcome to join us and have a bite to eat any time. You can go take a shower if you want to, there are towels in the bathroom, or you can just stay in here if you want to be alone, whatever you decide is fine, okay Maggie?”, he spoke softly and watched the girl pressing her lips together and nodding. “Yes sir”, she uttered and Y/N’s brows furrowed in worry at that. “Oh no need for the formalities, I’m just Spencer and this is just Y/N”, he continued with his soft voice and the girl nodded again. “Okay, Spencer. Thank you.”
—--
Downstairs Y/N immediately turned around to Spencer and rushed him to tell her what the social worker had said. “You seemed mad, what did she say? How is she just going to drop a kid off at night and just leave like that? We don’t even know what the circumstances are! And all her belongings are in a plastic bag, what the fuck Spencer!”, Y/N burst out and whisper shouted at her husband. Spencer eyed the stairs nervous that the girl could hear them. “I know, I told the social worker the same thing but it seemed like she was overworked too and had a call for another kid that was in trouble, it’s bad, I know, but at least now she’s safe with us.” “Did she tell you if the placement would be for longer? Where did Maggie even come from?” Spencer nodded carefully. 
“Police busted her prior foster family’s home for drug manufacturing just a couple of hours ago. They found her and another kid in one of the rooms while they had a makeshift drug lab in the basement.” Y/N’s jaw dropped. “WHAT?”, she whisper shouted once again not believing a word she was hearing. “How did those people get a foster licence to begin with? Was she exposed to these drugs?” Then another thought hit her. “Are you okay?”, she asked softly and Spencer nodded quickly. 
“I am, truly I’m just as shocked as you are. Apparently, they had the drugs and equipment in the basement while the upstairs was relatively clear of any signs of drugs and stuff, still a messed up home though. She needs a permanent place to stay, the case worker didn’t say much but her biological family seems to be out of the picture.“ “God I feel so bad for her, the way she called you Sir? I hope she’ll come down to eat something later.” Spencer nodded and pulled his wife into his arms, pressing a kiss on top of her head and rocking them both back and forth for a minute. “We’ll help her through this”, he assured.
____
Upstairs, Maggie finally got a moment to sit down and process what the last couple of hours had looked like. She had gotten the fright of a lifetime when suddenly there were people shouting everywhere and her and Lila’s door was kicked in, revealing two policemen with their guns drawn at the two of them. Maggie had pulled Lila into her bed, pushing themselves into the corner and holding the younger child safely, whispering affirmations into her ears. After the policemen had lowered their guns they escorted them out of the house, putting them in a car and asking loads of questions while Maggie watched the house being torn apart and their foster parents being detained. 
It wasn’t like Maggie liked them or living there but at least they didn’t hit them, at least they had a bed to sleep there. Now where would they go? She had been worrying about what they were doing in the basement for ages, watching the sketchy people turn up all the time, really deep down she knew that one of these days it would have to turn bad. After it all calmed down a little they were given trash bags and asked to collect their belongings. 
Maggie helped Lila in packing everything that might be helpful and grabbed the few things she had that belonged to her in a way. Lila’s grip on her hand was tight and it only reminded Maggie that they were incredibly likely to be split up. They weren’t bio siblings, just both ended up at the same home. Lila was only 9, Maggie honestly didn’t know how she hadn’t gotten a better family than that so she had tried to make it a home for Lila for the past year and a half. There was no way that a family that would be interested in taking Lila would also want a teenager, she knew that. She was all too familiar with the system, the older she got the slimmer the chances for a safe, comfortable home. 
Maggie had given up all hope for adoption a long time ago, but for Lila, there was still a chance. So when Nadine came to take Lila, telling her she had found a nice family, Maggie had encouraged the crying child that refused to let go of her. 
“Lila, baby I’ll always always always be here for you okay? You have to be strong now okay? Nadine found really nice people, it won’t be like it was here, okay? You will have a really good time, Li, I promise I will try and visit okay?”, she had tried to make her voice sound steady but couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her own cheeks. “What about you?”, Lila asked desperately. “I will be fine, I can look out for myself and I’ll get a safe place to stay too”, the teen encouraged but didn’t believe a word she was saying. Lila did though and that was most important. Before Nadine could take the girl away she hugged  her tight again and then kissed the girl’s forehead. “I love you Lila, you remember my phone number right? I made you memorise it”, she said and the kid nodded vehemently. “I remember Mags, I can call you?”, she asked and Maggie nodded trying to hold back the tears. “Please call me when you need me, I will always answer, I promise Li. Love you.”, she said again before the girl was led away, turning around once more and calling back: “Love you too Mags!”
And here Maggie was, alone again. Something she was very used to, so she pulled herself together, wiped away the tears and put up her guard again. Whatever was going to happen in the next couple of hours would decide where her life was going or what it would look like. She was at an age now where a group home was honestly the most likely option and it scared the living crap out of her to be in a home with older teenagers. Maggie could fend for herself but she wasn’t as tough as others in the system. She was an easy target, she knew that and she had to prepare herself for that. She was taken back to the police station where she stayed for another hour before a middle-aged woman introduced herself to her as Tanya. Nadine was still busy so she was handed over Maggie’s case for now. Great, now she didn’t even know her case worker anymore. 
“I made a few calls and found a place for you to stay, come on we’re going there now”, Tanya had said and Maggie just followed her along. “Is it a group home?”, she finally asked after they had been in the car for a couple minutes without the woman saying more. Maggie missed Nadine, at least she had attempted to make her feel better. “No, it’s not, you’re lucky, there’s been a new couple in the area opening up for older kids like you. Mr and Mrs Reid are expecting us any minute now.” 
____
And that had been all the girl knew before these two strangers opened up their home to her. Here she was now sitting in a perfect room in a perfect townhouse. She looked down at the blanket in her lap. It felt soft against her palm and the softness in addition to the softness of the bed beneath her made her feel weird. Like it was all fake, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was all too soft. The blanket, the bed, the light, the warmth, their voices. It was all too soft. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t how life went for her. She didn’t trust the peace. 
Before she knew what she was doing, she was pacing. Trying to make sense of what it was that was happening here. She didn’t want to cry, not again, it would only make it worse, she would only miss Lila worse and the people downstairs could hear her. There wasn’t even anything to cry over. This placement was the best place she had probably ever been put in, but that made it feel so wrong, like there was a bomb waiting to go off any minute. That bomb seemed to be her though, she felt like she was going to combust from the pressure that was building up inside of her, threatening to spill over. She had to let it all out somehow. 
Her eyes fell on the blanket and before she knew what she was doing she grabbed the soft piece of fabric that was supposed to bring her comfort and threw it across the room. It landed against the closet door with a small *thump* sound and then just plummeted to the ground. Maggie’s teeth were clenched together as she watched it do nothing with how she was feeling and quickly she grabbed another pillow off the bed, launching it through the room similarly. Others followed until finally one of the pillows landed against a framed picture on the wall, causing it to come off the hook and fall to the ground with a loud clatter. It was only then that the girl seemed to come to her senses. 
Wide-eyed she looked around herself, seeing the damage she had done, pillows and blankets were scattered all around the room, the frame was broken and the glass littered the floor between her and the door to the room. Before the girl could do anything to tidy it all up she could hear hurried steps on the stairs and a knock on the door. Shit. “Maggie, we heard a noise, is it okay for us to come in?”, she could hear the woman’s, worried voice. Had she already messed up this chance of a home? She couldn’t get a word out, just stood there and stared. “Maggie, I’m sorry but if you don’t answer me I will have to come in, okay?”, she heard the woman say and it made her snap out of it. “No!”, she shrieked out but it was too late, the door had already been opened and Y/N carefully peered in, stopping when she saw the damage on the floor and then quickly looking up at Maggie. The teen's lip began to quiver immediately. “I …. I … I didn’t mean to”, she panickedly got out. “I’m SO sorry, I promise I will clean it up, I’m sorry I just … I …”, she couldn’t find words for what was happening. 
The whole reason for her even beginning to throw stuff around, not wanting to cry, was now senseless because as soon as she realised what she had done, the tears came streaming down her face. She didn’t want to leave again already. This couldn’t be happening, how did she already blow it up? 
She didn’t notice Y/N ushering Spencer to go and get something to clean the glass off the floor, nor that the woman was carefully stepping around the shards trying to get close to her. “Maggie, Maggie, it’s okay. It’s all good, it’s just a cheap decoration from Target, it’s okay!”, she tried to calm the girl down. Her voice was steady and soft. Maggie was violently shaking her head and backing away into the other corner of the room, now clutching her mouth with her hands as she stared at the broken frame. 
“I didn’t mean to, please I’m so sorry”, she kept saying when she hit the wall behind her. Y/N stopped her attempt to get closer. Clearly, she was scaring the girl, backing her in. So instead the agent kept her distance, holding up her hands to show her she wasn’t a threat. “I know you didn’t mean to, Maggie, I know and it’s okay, you’re not in trouble, it’s all okay", she said softly. “Can you look up at me please?” Maggie had her eyes shut since she had backed against the wall. She now forced herself to cast her eyes up at the woman standing across from her, she didn’t look like she was mad, maybe she was saying the truth. 
“Are you hurt? Did you get glass somewhere?”, she asked softly and the teen looked down on herself before shaking her head. “Okay, that’s good. Spencer is bringing up a broom and the vacuum and it will be all good”, Y/N smiled at the teen encouragingly just as Spencer appeared again. “I can do it”, Maggie protested, stepping forward a little. “We don’t want you to hurt yourself, it’s okay, I’ve got it!”, Spencer said with a soft smile on his face as he began to clean away the mess. 
Y/N looked back from her husband to the teen that was now standing beside the bed, cheeks still damp from tears and arms crossed in front of herself. Y/N chose to sit down on the bed. She softly tapped the bed beside her. “Why don’t you sit with me for a minute, huh?”, she asked and to her surprise, Maggie immediately followed the request. “I want you to know that you are safe here with us and that we understand that you have a lot of feelings going on for you right now. Today must have been a lot and this is all new to you so we get that you might be feeling sad or angry or confused”, Y/N said with a steady and soft voice, smiling at the girl and giving her room to take it in. 
Maggie listened to the woman speak, not knowing what to say. Only after a couple of minutes did a few words slip out. “It was all too soft”, she finally heard herself speak and she knew in saying that that it didn’t make any sense whatsoever. But Y/N didn’t question it. “Okay”, she simply said. “What can we do to make it better for you?” Maggie was stunned at the question. What could they do? They already gave her a room and snacks and didn’t yell at her after trashing the room. “I… I don’t know”, she said and Y/N nodded. “That’s okay too. Do you think you got it out a little bit?” The teen nodded. “How would you like something to eat and a glass of water?” Again, Maggie nodded and Y/N felt a rush of relief that they had finally made a little progress. She looked back at Spencer who had since cleaned up the mess and stood there awkwardly. This had been an eventful first hour.
—--
Together, the three of them went downstairs. Y/N pulled out three bowls and scooped the chilli into them while Spencer got some spoons and glasses and put them out on the table. “You can sit in whatever spot you want”, Y/N explained to the teen who pulled out one of the chairs and sat down watching the two adults carefully. They worked around each other so seamlessly, like a well-oiled machine and somehow they both just radiated calmness and comfort. The girl was still a little shaken up about what she did up in the room, but mostly now she just felt tired and hungry, really hungry. 
It had been one of those days where they couldn’t find anything good to eat in the house and Maggie had given the last of the bread with a little butter and sugar to Lila when they got back from school. Now the room smelled like actually good, warm food and just then Y/N placed a full bowl in front of her while Spencer put a basket with bread on the table too. The two of them sat down too, Spencer filling up all of their glasses with water. 
“I hope you like chilli, I didn’t make it too spicy, Spencer is sensitive like that and I didn’t know how you’d like it”, Y/N explained, but Maggie could already feel her mouth watering just looking at the food in front of her. She quickly looked up at Y/N. “Thank you, this looks really delicious”, she said politely and as the two adults picked up their spoons she finally started shovelling the comforting, hearty food into her mouth too. She couldn’t remember the last time she had had such a good meal. Y/N and Spencer shared the same sombre look watching the girl eat so fast and hectic. It was abundantly clear that she hadn’t been getting proper meals for a while now and had arrived hungry. 
“Is there anything you don’t like eating or you’re allergic to Maggie? Just so I know when I do the food shop and meal prep. I thought I could take you with me for the food run tomorrow and you could pick out a few things you like”, Y/N started a conversation when Maggie had slowed down a little. The girl perked up at that, surprised by the sentiment. “I … I’m not allergic to anything I think.”, she said softly, just thankful to eat anything really. “Okay that’s good to know, and anything you don’t like?”, Y/N pushed further. “I for one hate anything with fish or seafood in general, Spencer doesn’t like mushrooms, he says they’re too slimy”, she chuckled and watched the teen’s lips curve into a small smile. 
“I don’t like mushrooms either, they feel funny, but I’ll eat them, I don’t want to be a bother!”, she quickly backtracked. “No way, you will never have to eat mushrooms here, I will personally make sure of it!”, Spencer now interjected and Maggie chuckled a little at the man’s childish antics. “Okay”, she said softly. “I also don’t really like green beans”, she added quietly and Y/N beamed at the teen speaking freely. “Oh don’t worry we’re not the biggest fans of those either”, she assured. “Do you want a second bowl? I think I’ll go for seconds”, Spencer now interjected seeing the girl’s empty bowl. She nodded. “Thank you, that would be nice”, turning to Y/N she added. “It tastes really good. You’re a good cook.” “Oh thank you, honey, I don’t get to cook that often, so I’ll take the compliment”, Y/N thanked the girl while Spencer placed their full bowö back in front of them. 
“So you probably have a lot of questions for us, I imagine it’s a bit scary suddenly living with two strangers, so how about we tell you a little about ourselves and then you can ask us anything?” Maggie looked between the two adults and then nodded before continuing to eat. “Okay, so Spencer and I have been married for a year now and we’ve been together for 2 before that. We met at our job. We are both working at the FBI, we’re both agents.” Maggie’s head snapped up at that, and with wide eyes, she looked at the two of them again. THEY were FBI agents? They looked so.. so soft. He was wearing a sweater vest with a funny pattern and she wore fuzzy socks and sweats. 
“I know we don’t look stereotypical FBI right now”, Y/N chuckled. “We’re profilers so really we analyse the minds of criminals in order to catch them”, she explained and Maggie nodded. “We usually travel a lot for our job but our boss was okay with one of us staying back with each case so that we can be here for you. We both don’t have a lot of family, but we see our colleagues at the BAU as our family and you will meet them too when you’re ready.” 
Maggie nodded along, taking it all in for now. Spencer continued after that. “We both love to read, we have left a few books in your room too, but you’re welcome to help yourself to any book in the house and if you see one you’d like when we’re out just tell one of us we’ll get it for you. Y/N also knits while watching her TV shows, I’m too clumsy for that and I also feel like if you’re gonna watch something you should watch it and not just listen.” That earned him a scoff from Y/N. “It’s called multitasking I've told you before Spencer!”, she defended herself and Maggie smirked at their interaction, they really did seem like nice people. “I can teach you how to knit! I’ve made Spencer a lot of scarves already!”, Y/N now excitedly addressed the girl who bit her lip nervously now that she had finished her food. 
Maggie shrugged nervously, unsure about what to say to that. “If I can stay here that might be nice”, she said softly and Spencer and Y/N’s faces dropped significantly. The girl had just arrived and was already thinking about having to move  on, it made sense, they knew how often that happened, but they weren’t gonna let that happen. 
“If we get any say in it you stay here as long as you want to, I promise you that, Maggie”, Y/N said. “Why?”, the teen asked bluntly. “Sorry, what do you mean why?”, Y/N asked, taken aback by the question. “Why do you want me to stay longer? You could easily foster one of the little ones, they’re really cute and aren’t problems like … like big kids and … and teens..“, she explained herself while stirring in the remnants of her chilli. She couldn’t see the cautious and dumbfounded looks Spencer and Y/N gave themselves. Instead, she continued on with her rant. 
“I just trashed your upstairs bedroom, was really impolite and also, supplies and food are more expensive for bigger kids, teens get into trouble at school a lot more often than little kids and most foster teens above the age of 12 will not find a foster family and live in group homes where they’re prepared to age out of the system and be self-sufficient and even then 20% of us end up homeless when we turn 18. Older foster kids don’t get a chance like this, people like you don’t take us, they take the cute ones without trouble, people like me go into group homes or into families that just want to cash their checks. So why would you want me to stay here?” Maggie finally finished her rant leaving Spencer and Y/N speechless. 
The girl seemed to be shocked by her own words now as her head snapped up suddenly, looking up at the two adults and turning red in embarrassment. She quickly looked down at the table again. not bearing to meet their eyes. They sat there in silence for a moment before Spencer spoke up.  “Believe me, Maggie, I know all the statistics and that is exactly why Y/N and I decided to open our home to older kids like you. You deserve a chance just like the younger kids do, there are safe homes for them but as you said there are significantly fewer for kids above the age of 12 which just isn’t fair to any of you. We knew that we didn’t like the idea of teens ending up in group homes and ageing out to become homeless. We want to provide a safe and loving home, especially to kids who didn’t get the chance before”, Spencer said calmly. 
“What Spencer is saying is true, Maggie. We wanted to expand our family and we knew we didn’t want to bring a new baby into this world when there are so many kids who need a safe and loving home. We love kids, don’t get us wrong, but you’re still a kid too and what you’re saying isn’t entirely right, little kids come with a lot of work too, that’s not me saying we wouldn’t put in all of the work to accommodate whatever anyone staying with us needs, but with little ones, there is a lot of guessing whereas you can talk to us, tell us what you need, what you feel like. It can be a lot of fun to have a teenager in the house, we can talk about books and shows and Spencer and I get to feel young again”, she joked to ease the tension. “And with one of us being on their own from time to time because of our jobs, we also felt like it just made sense to take in older kids and teens like you because you would understand why one of us had to go from time to time, you know?” 
Maggie was taking in what the two of them were saying, embarrassed about what she had laid off on them. She never usually spoke up like that, people didn’t tend to listen to her anyways but apparently, Spencer and Y/N had listened and Maggie had to admit that what they were saying now sounded sincere. Nevertheless, she couldn’t let herself trust this yet. She could still be whisked away any second because of some stupid reason. For now, though she nodded and gathered all of her courage to look up at the two of them and smiled softly. “Okay", she said, deciding at that moment that she would try and hope one more time that this could be it. That maybe these people could be something like family one day.
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some-doggo-pics · 8 months
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Otto 🐾 ❤️
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lyra-brie · 1 year
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Reddit does this thing where they try to crash a charity site by donating too much once a year
TL;DR: here's a super cool charity that gives gifts to foster kids, donate if you can or reblog to signal boost.
The charity is One Simple Wish, where you send money to pay for things for kids in foster care. There are over 500 thousand kids in foster care each year just in the United States, and 22 thousand of those kids will age out alone without stable conditions and with little resources and knowledge to survive.
One Simple Wish helps by allowing you to grant a wish for a foster kid or former foster youth, which could be anything from a new pair of shoes for Christmas to helping former foster youth stock their pantries to bed frames and bikes. And you get to leave them a note that shows how much you care. A lot of these are expensive though, so you also have the option of donating any amount of money you're able to directly to the charity.
Are we going to let Reddit be better at this than us? Sure, we can be known as the site that creates a fandom for a nonexistent movie. That's awesome, and I love it. But we could also be known as the site that was better than reddit at breaking this charity's website by donating so much their servers were overloaded.
This doesn't mean we have to grant every wish possible and spend hundreds of dollars each. If we all rally together, giving whatever we can, even if that's only two or three dollars for you, we can do this. And if you can't give anything, that's fine, too. Reblog and boost this post. Tell your friends. Spread the word.
Most of these kids just want something special for Christmas because they don't have much. Can we help them get that?
And if for whatever reason, you don't want to donate to them, my next reccomendation is @sharonsaysso on insta. She's holding her holiday giving drive, where her followers have donated over 500 thousand dollars to help people in need over the past few days. Her community over there is wonderful, too. Her drive is only lasting a few more days, though, so you have to donate fast for hers.
So what do you say guys? Can we work together one step at a time to make the world a little bit better (and to beat reddit at this)? Click here to go donate or grant a wish.
If you do end up donating, feel free to reblog this or make your own post and tag me, so we can all celebrate each other's contributions, no matter how big or small. So far, I've granted a $100 wish for a kid named Haley to get a hoverboard for Christmas and $50 a few days ago for Sharon.
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onceuponafosterkid · 1 year
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Residential Treatment Facilities
In the state of Colorado, they decided they want to close down residential treatment centers across the state. Their goal in this, is to place foster youth with foster families instead of treatment facilities. As someone who grew up in foster care treatment centers, I have a couple thoughts about this. Hypothetically, this is good idea. Every kid deserves a loving family. What I don’t agree with, is pulling kids like me out of a traumatic situation and placing them with a family who are not trained or prepared to deal with aftershocks of trauma. I lived in an abusive house for 12 and a half years. When the state finally pulled me out, they placed me in a residential treatment center where I had access to 24/7 therapeutic services. Without those around the clock services, I would have committed suicide. I went through a phase where almost every day I was fighting to die. I did not want to be alive. If they had placed me in a foster home instead of a treatment center, I would have killed myself, and I would have burned out every set of foster parents they placed me with. You cannot expect foster parents to be able to handle a child with the amount of trauma and behavioral issues I had. That is a job for treatment counselors and therapists. I do not believe youth should be institutionalized to the point of not being able to function in a normal society, but I think youth need time and space to stabilize in a therapeutic setting before they are placed in a family. Otherwise, it will not work. You cannot expect parents to perform the same tasks as a therapist or a counselor. You have to pick one, you can’t be both a therapist and a parent to a kid. It’s unfair and unrealistic to the youth and the parents.
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dielukedie · 6 months
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sweetlittledaisy7 · 7 months
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For those bashing me because I grew up conservative Christian who is against the abortion laws:
Most people can't look at all sides of why they're against something. It's all abortion is murder and it's wrong. Just give it up for adoption. Many conservatives live within their own heads. Everyone preaches love but spews the opposite.
Yes, I'm adopted.
Yes, I've been part of the prolife movement since I was a child. I was forced.
Yes, I don't believe in abortion for myself.
Yes, I'm still conservative Christian.
When will conservatives recognize their own hate? Many of you shame the very women you tell to choose life. Many of you wouldn't offer any money or support to families in need. Many of you aren't foster parents or adoptees or even foster kids.
I'll admit. I grew up pretty privileged. I grew up in a small bubble and just followed what I was raised in. I never questioned anything. I grew up in a nice town, nice home, went to private school, and my parents paid for my college education. My parents are even thinking about buying me my first home and want to fund my masters degree. Newsflash, most people don't have this.
There are women literally dying because they can't abort. These babies will not survive long, or the mothers health is at risk.
There are babies who will never ever get adopted. Let's be real here. I realized there are babies who aren't adopted. I was a white, healthy baby girl. If I had a disability or medical issue, the chances I'll get adopted go down a lot. Race matters as well. Most adoptive parents looking to adopt don't want to adopt a sick/problem non white baby. It sounds harsh, but it's true. I've met adoptees who were told their adoptive parents settled for them.
So shut the fuk up about putting it up for adoption.
Foster care has many kids we can't find homes for because most adoptive parents like I said are picky. Most want white baby girl newborns. Almost none want an older child or a teenager especially ones with issues.
Speaking of foster kids, did you know many foster kids are raped and abused in foster care? Many can't access health care. What if a teenage foster child gets pregnant? She can't abort. There are kids who spend half their lives foster care until they age out with nothing. Where are the conservatives helping them out? What about the aged out teenager who get pregnant and is homeless now? Will you help her?
Let's talk about the 10 year old pregnant rape victim. If you support a child carrying a baby after being raped you're sick af. I'll be the first one to tell you that if I had a child and she got pregnant from rape, I'll risk my freedom and life getting her an abortion. No child should be forced to not only be raped but be forced to carry a pregnancy from rape. What if it was your child? Grandchild? Cousin? Neighbor? Sister? Many of you call yourself prolife but don't care about kids at all. What about the 10 year old?
And rapists in many states have parental rights. Think about that for a second. Not only must victims bare the child but share custody with their rapist. This country is sick.
And adoption isn't the answer. I'm adopted. I can honestly tell you it's not fun being adopted. Knowing your birth mom didn't want you. Everyone can say she made an adoption plan or she loves you so much. What a load of crap. I'm thankful for my life and my adoptive family, but honestly, at times, I hate being adopted. Everyone else can be with their biological families but me. Now that I'm an adult, it gets harder. I can't wrap my mind around carrying a child and birthing a child just to give your own baby away. It's not something to be proud of either.
Having no genetics around you sucks. Not knowing where you're from sucks. I literally have so many issues from being adopted it's not a joke. Conservatives can push adoption all they want but adoption has its own issues too. Women shouldn't be forced to carry a pregnancy just to give the baby away for adoption. Adoption should be for kids who truly need it when they don't have any family willing to take them in. Why do we want more kids born when we can't even take care of the kids we already have born?
And inflation is a bitch right now. My parents brought their houses for cheap. Their college degrees were cheap. Most people can't even afford to live, let alone pay their medical bills. Many people can't afford rent or a mortgage.
So, yes, I'm a conservative Christian adoptee who is against abortion laws. The prolife movement is a joke. I hate my damn state. And shut the fuq up about adoption. We don't need more babies born to be adopted anyway. Women aren't here to be your incubators.
And before y'all attack me, I believe in Jesus, the Bible, and I've attended Christian schools my entire life. My boyfriend is a preachers kid and grew up more religious than I did. I still attend church, and I still have my beliefs. I attended Christian college and came back a different person once I got outside of my bubble and my family. I see a lot of stuff differently and feel I was brainwashed on many things. I still don't support the abortion ban. Make abortion legal for all. Now shut up and actually practice what you preach if you're prolife. I'm not talking about preventing abortion or banning it either. The hard work of helping born kids and born people who are struggling.
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pegs-and-dinos · 7 months
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First adventures in fostercare
After talking about it for over a decade - before we even got married - my wife and I became licensed foster parents a few months ago. First we had to settle down in one location instead of moving every couple years; then we had tiny twins; then COVID lockdowns and virtual school meaning my kids were home 24/7 for 1.5 years and we were all out of cope. But. Here we are, finally. Anyway! We have our first placement this week! It's a respite placement for twin 16-month-olds. Their normal placement is with a family member who had to travel overseas for work this week. The twins have lived with her almost since birth and it looks like it's heading to adoption. Who even knew such stable, close-to-ideal fostercare situations existed in real life!?
Anyway, for us it's about as gentle an introduction to fostercare as possible, I'd imagine - two healthy, well-adjusted youngsters from a stable, loving, well-resourced home that is almost all they've ever known. Still, it's been interesting having a second set of twins in our house, and I've been surprised but really pleased with how well my big twins (now 6.5!) have handled having more kids to share parent attention with. I was expecting a lot more jealousy! But the big twins are truly enchanted by the little ones, and have really stepped up in their role as big sisters. I've _also_ remembered that babies/early toddlers are pretty boring lololol. A lot emotionally easier than my kids are at 6 or were at 5 or even 4 - but boring. If it were a longer-term placement I'd probably get much better at taking them places and incorporating them into my normal routines, but for a week, it's just easier to stick close to home and schedule myself entirely around them.
Also I hear tell that babies don't always come in sets of two, but I have yet to experience what it's like to care for a singleton. Looking forward to that novelty some day.
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davidwfloydart · 1 year
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Foster kittens 🐈‍⬛ #goodtimes😊 #fostercare #cutekittens #animalsarethebest #kittykitty #kittylove #catloversclub #joyful (at Catalina Foothills, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpnVUFJJdx8C04-VeQVBRI56UVpgRYw2IF8J8c0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Glitz and Shazamour (Shazam foster siblings)
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Title: Glitz and Shazamour
Author: Crazy_Comet_97
Tagline: When his foster parents go out on their date night and not a whisper of something bad in current sight, Billy can’t resist the opportunity to have some fun with Freddy and his foster sibs while they have the time. Crimefighters deserved to have fun after all, right?
(This was inspired by @violetta-mondarev 's story about her and her siblings turning their house into an underage gambling den. It’s exactly something the Shazam crew would do, full stop.)
Word Count: 1192
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49031578
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moonshine1999 · 10 months
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"I’m an only child, will, but I’ve had brothers. I’ve had sisters, and parents"
Quote from a mcyt fanfic I can't remember the name of at this time
Update! Found the fic
https://archiveofourown.org/works/41832726/chapters/104962968 <- here
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hersparklinggqalb · 1 year
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May Allah grant us hidayah to consider becoming a foster parents for parentless, homeless children.
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thetonycross · 1 year
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May 8th: foster care myths
Myth: Children in foster care are all “bad” kids who have done something wrong. Reality: Children enter foster care for a variety of reasons, including neglect, abuse, abandonment, and other family circumstances beyond their control. Foster children are not inherently “bad.”
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m0use123 · 1 year
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"Wait, wait, wait, are you seriously telling me you've never been ice skating"? Asami asked her girlfriend as they walked hand in hand out of the school building.
Korra ducked her head, "Pema and Tenzin say I'm not allowed. They keep saying I'll fall and break something".
Asami smiled at the adorable little pout on her smaller girlfriend's face. "I'm sure Pema and Tenzin are just thinking of you K-bear, you are kinda clumsy remember"?
Korra huffed and nibbled on her bottom lip. "Will, will you take me Sami"?
"I don't think your foster parents will like that K-bear ......"
"Pllllleaseeee"? Korra whined.
Asami giggled and kissed her temple. "Okay, okay, but you have to promise to not tell anyone, I don't want headmaster Tenzin to give me detention".
Korra squealed happily, "you're the best Sami, love you".
"I love you too Baby, now come on, before the ice rink closes".
- - - - - -
Twenty minutes later and Asami was lacing up Korra's ice skates for her at Yue's ice Palace.
"How does that feel"? Asami asked her gently.
"Feels good Sami, thank you" Korra blushed furiously, always feeling embarrassed that she can't tie her shoe laces yet.
- - - - - -
"You're doing so well K-bear, no, don't look down. Keep your eyes on me beautiful", Asami smiled as she held her girlfriend's hands.
Asami continued to skate expertly backwards as she held her girlfriend's trembling hands.
Korra smiled nervously at her, "I'm doing it Sami. I'm doing it"!
"Yes you are. I'm so proud of you Baby"! Asami encouraged as they skated round and round.
- - - - - -
"I'm letting go in three, two, one", Asami said as she let go of both her girlfriend's hands.
Korra wobbled dangerously several times, and Asami darted forward, holding her girlfriend close.
"You're okay" Asami whispered into korra's hair, "I've got you".
The next time she let go, Korra fell hard on the ice, the younger teen's cries filled the almost full rink.
- - - - - -
A week later, and Asami sat miserably in the detention room.
She looked up as Headmaster Tenzin entered, followed closely by Korra.
Asami shuffled back in her chair quickly as Korra sat on her girlfriend's lap.
"Sami" she pouted, "you haven't signed my cast yet" she lifted up her broken right arm.
Asami smiled and kissed her temple, "sure thing baby".
"Korra. You're in detention, sit on your own seat please honey" Tenzin said as he looked up from his paperwork.
"Sorry Tenzin" she said quietly, reluctantly slipping off the older girls lap.
"Ow, and by the way girls, this is your last detention, but please honey, when Pema and I say no to something, listen to us".
"You bet Tenzin" Korra squealed, "come on Sami, I want to go back to the ice Palace".
"Korra. Korra"! Tenzin yelled after his Foster daughter as she pulled her helpless looking girlfriend out the door as fast as possible. "Ow, why not, they're young", Tenzin muttered with a smile.
They spent that evening back in the A&E department, and it was safe to say Pema was pretty annoyed.
"No more ice skating girls. I mean it".
~ Fin ~
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shivaandcie · 2 years
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Eowyn - 2019/ 24th October 2022
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hyadamsfoster · 1 year
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After moving to The Coterie in Downtown Los Angeles, Callie and Mariana Foster realise that living on their own is not all that it’s cracked up to be in this comedic adulting series.
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sweetlittledaisy7 · 3 months
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My wife and I did adopt because of infertility. As much as I am grateful we get to be parents, I recognize the loss my children's birth mom and my children suffered. Their loss resulted in our family. One family broken apart to build another.
Adoptive parents, please read this and re read it. Adoption is a loss. We adoptees had to lose so you can gain something. It's not a win-win. While you wanted a child, no child actually wants to lose their family and be with you.
Birth families lose, too. I wish we could acknowledge loss and stop painting adoption as this beautiful, grateful happily ever after.
And people with infertility understand we adoptees can't fill that void of the baby your body couldn't carry or birth.
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