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    Just for Awhile
    Just for Awhile
    Just for Awhile
    Ebook120 pages1 hour

    Just for Awhile

    By Virginia Connelly

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    About this ebook

    "This book should be required reading for all social workers and families involved in foster care, and for all professionals who work with children." Judith Parrish, Social Worker



    This is the true story of a boy placed in foster care while his mother was in prison. It is also the story of his foster mother and family, and the impact he was to have on their lives. During the first months in his new foster home, Billy's angry and erratic behavior made even this experienced mother and teacher question her decision to open her home to a child in need. However, as the child began to bond with his new family, they discovered in themselves a deeper caring than they could have ever imagined.




    At times hilarious, at times sad and deeply moving, this story is a must for anyone who has ever considered fostering or adopting a child.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateJun 21, 2007
    ISBN9780595891283
    Just for Awhile
    Author

    Virginia Connelly

    Virginia Connelly has worked as a teacher, a Parent Educator, and as a migrant child advocate. She currently works with at-risk youth. Virginia lives in Carmel, California.

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      Book preview

      Just for Awhile - Virginia Connelly

      Copyright © 2007 by Virginia Connelly

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

      iUniverse

      2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

      Lincoln, NE 68512

      www.iuniverse.com

      1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

      The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      ISBN: 978-0-595-44809-8 (pbk)

      ISBN: 978-0-595-89128-3 (ebk)

      Printed in the United States of America

      Contents

      Foreword

      1986

      1

      2

      3

      4

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      1999

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      Foreword

      In 2004, the last year for which statistics were available, 517,000 children of all races and nationalities were in foster care in the United States (Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System data submitted for the fiscal year 2004). Each of these children came into foster care during a troubling and chaotic time and needed support to weather the challenges and to move on through the subsequent adjustments.

      Ginny, a school teacher, was raising her three children as a single parent when we met. She was motivated to help a child who needed a stable home and she had the resources. She was caring and nurturing, had a lovely home and yard with ponies, and three well adjusted children. When two-year-old Billy needed a foster home, Ginny’s home was the logical choice.

      Most would agree that parenting is the hardest job in the world. Being a foster parent takes it to the next step because usually the child is experiencing great emotional trauma, and there is no guarantee of how long the child will remain with the family or where they will go from there. What impressed me most about Ginny was her understanding of how children think and her ability to help this young child deal with his grief. I watched her love for this adorable little boy grow every day while she respectfully supported Billy’s mother and his four-yearold sister during the reunification attempts.

      This book tells a real life story with the names changed to protect the privacy of the individuals. This very personal story sensitively portrays the ups and downs, the laughter and pain, the rewards and challenges of foster parenting.

      Judy Parrish, Social Worker March 2007

      1986

      1  

      He’s here! He’s here! shouted the girls in unison. We had been waiting all day for him to arrive, so when the car pulled up, we all tore out to the driveway in a pack.

      Hi, Billy! I opened the car door on his side and lifted him out of his car seat. I was momentarily shocked at how little he was, how vulnerable. A flood of tenderness came over me as I held him in my arms. He was beautiful, and scared, and very brave. Large, clear blue eyes took me in somberly; then he pulled away.

      I’m Ginny, and this is Sofia, and Heather. My two daughters were crowding around me, eager to meet the little boy who was joining our family. We’re going to take care of you for a while. We fixed up a special room just for you. Do you want to see it?

      He shook his head, but when I put him down, he let the girls take his hands and lead him into the house. In his room, he walked first over to the crib and stared at it. He didn’t say a word, but I could sense that he liked the bright comforter and stuffed animals—so far, so good.

      He watched me warily from under his long lashes, looking as though he was ready to bolt at any minute. It was obvious that he was feeling overwhelmed, so I left him with the girls and went out to the living room to talk with the social worker and go over all the paperwork involved in accepting a child into foster care.

      I had always wanted to be a foster mom, but up until now it hadn’t seemed possible. I was divorced and raising three kids on my own. When I had read an article in the Sunday paper a few months earlier about the Prisoner Reunification Program, I was intrigued. It was a new program to support mothers who had been separated from their children while serving time in prison. Instead of just handing the child over to the mother immediately after her release, she would start by visiting the child, gradually spending more and more time with him. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be involved. My own children were old enough to take care of themselves and even to help out around the house. My youngest child, Heather, was seven and very self-sufficient. Sofia, who was a year older, was a happy, easy-going child. Michael was eleven going on forty-something. A serious, quiet child, he had always been mature beyond his years. Plus, this was a short-term commitment, and since as a teacher I had the whole summer off, it seemed the perfect time to reach out to a child, and a mother, in need.

      I was glad that Judy was the social worker we would be working with. I had met her before, and liked her very much. In her early forties, she was professional yet also kind and gentle. And unlike some of the other social workers I had met, she did not seem to be hardened or cynical. I always had the feeling that she genuinely cared about each person involved.

      Judy looked weary. They had been traveling all day, flying from the East coast to California where we lived.

      How much do you know about Billy’s background? she started out.

      Not much, actually. I understand that his mother is in prison and is going to be released soon, and that she is planning to come to this area because her parents live here. But one thing I missed, I guess, is why Billy didn’t stay with her parents while she was in prison.

      When Linda was sentenced to serve two years in prison, they took Hannah, Billy’s sister, who was four at the time, and Billy went to the paternal grandparents. Of course, it would have been ideal not to split up the kids, but from what I understand, Linda’s father had been having some rather serious health problems. So when the paternal grandparents offered to keep Billy, we agreed that would be best.

      Oh, I wondered who had been taking care of Billy this past year that his mom had been in prison. I had thought maybe it was his father.

      He was with his father for a while, but his dad has some problems of his own. He agreed to let his parents help out with Billy during this time. Judy paused and gratefully accepted the cup of tea I offered her.

      "In the past, Billy would have been handed over to Linda upon her release. But we have found that the regular transitional difficulties at this time—finding a job, housing,

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