Foster care is a hopeful opportunity for unwanted, abused and frustrated children to be accepted into society. There are 532,000 children in foster care and yet, 118,000 children are still awaiting adoption. Although 532,000 children out of 6.5 billion people on this earth have been “spoken for” and have a roof over their heads, by no means does it mean they live a “regular” life or ever will. They don't have the American Dream family that so many of us do, many have the nightmares from their past, and they will always know in the back of their minds that someone didn't want them.

Adopting a child and providing a foster home are two completely different realities. Foster care typically refers to a temporary safe home, guarding the child like it were the parents own, and preventing them from being abused or neglected like they were before. Often enough, this is a voluntary process with the intentions that the child will eventually be adopted, which is still quite generous since living in a home versus a hospital room sounds much more accommodating. A foster family does not have all the same legal rights as those of an adoptive family and has to check with the state before they can make any major decisions. Also, unlike an adopted child, if a social worker or the state finds that a foster child should be taken out of a particular house and placed in different care, then there's really not a whole lot that a foster parent can object to. An adoptive family, however, has soul custody over the child, can make important decisions for them, and the child cannot be taken away because of judgment of others.

Becoming a foster child is a sad and horrifying process. The child may have been beaten to a pulp and sexually abused more times than we will actually ever know. Statistics show that of children who entered foster care in the 0-6 age ranget, more than half were neglected, abandoned, or abused. (Christine Adamec and William Pierce, Ph.D. ) Yet after even as short a time span as 12 months, if the state believes it's time to put the abuse and neglect behind everyone, they will return the child to the biological parent and most likely let the process begin all over again. Foster care may be somewhat considered a safe haven, but it may only be for a short period of time.

Once abandoned by a parent, a child may feel that they have nothing in the world.  However, there are options for foster children to excell in life and feel as "normal" or "average" as the everyday "American Dream" child.  There are such apportunities as money from the government for college,  visiting the dentist or doctor that the government will again pay for, and a foster child can especially visit other siblings that may be in separate homes.  Just because a child is put into the foster system does not mean that  they don't have any rights and has to be confined.  The government wants an unwanted child to be taken care of and lead as normal of a life as possible.  Sometimes it's not possible for a child to grow up and realize that there are opportunties for them, yet some are fortunate enough to experience that luck.  The reality of being a foster child may be extremely difficult to accept but in the long run,  there are still many opportunties for a good healthy life.  A child or young adult should not just assume that their lives will end when they turn eighteen since there is always financial help for them if they need it.  A child or young adult may have to work to prove that he wants a better life after being in a foster household, but if they're serious about achieving a good life, they should work hard for it like most others.