By Ro
“When I was little, I wanted to be a lawyer. I used to love watching Matlock on TV. I thought it was so cool how he would discover the truth by the end of each episode. I had no idea that someday, I’d be selling drugs and getting my G.E.D. at Rikers. I grew up in foster care. I was born with crack cocaine in my system, so I got placed in foster care as a baby. Like most kids in care, I got bounced around from home to home and school to school. I went to over 10 schools, and all that school transferring made me get held back in third and ninth grades. The day I turned to the streets though was when I was 15 years old. I asked my foster mom if she could help buy me football equipment for school. I was into sports and wanted to join the high school football team. But my foster mom said no. She was an addict, and every dollar she received to care for me went straight to her buying angel dust. That day, I realized that if I needed or wanted something, I’d have to find my own way of getting it. I couldn’t depend on anyone – not my birth mom, not my foster mom and not the system – to help me do the things that every kid gets to do. So I turned to the streets to make my own money. It was a stupid decision.” #FosterMyEducation #FosterTruth
Published on May 1, 2017 as part of Children’s Rights’ “Fostering the Future” campaign. The opinions expressed herein are those of the blog author and do not necessarily represent the views of Children’s Rights or its employees. Children’s Rights has not verified the author’s account.