Maranda Russell

Tag: foster care

  • Poetry: A World Like This

    Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too couldn’t have dreamed of a world like this. A world where kids stay doped up on Ritalin and Prozac, while drug dealers work the swing sets and slides of a local playground. A world where kids with guns and the will to kill run the streets with cold, hard […]

  • I Miss Having Kids Around

    Today my husband and I went to go see one of his students dance in a special recital: Seeing all the cute little kids dressed up in their costumes and dancing made me really miss having kids around. I used to be almost constantly surrounded by kids between foster parenting, volunteering with the kids at […]

  • Mental Illness Labels : Alphabet Soup Poem

    Yesterday I commented on a post by blogger Myloudbipolarwhispers about mental illness labels. In the comment, I explained how one of my foster kids once had a therapist who talked about the dangers of “alphabet soup”, which is when people start collecting so many labels (ADHD, ADD, ASD, PTSD, SAD, OCD, DID, BPD, RAD, and so on […]

  • Feeling Torn in Half…

    Last night I had a really bad panic attack. The situation that triggered it is a complicated one that has me feeling rather torn in half. As I have probably mentioned before, my husband is a special education teacher. He is extremely devoted to his work and his students and loves what he does. This […]

  • Are You a Nowhere Man? All About Biases

    I’ve said before that I think some of the best poetry snippets can be found in song lyrics. Not every musician or group writes great or even above-average lyrics, but when they do, I like to dissect the songs and really think about them. One song I have always felt a strong kinship with is […]

  • New YouTube Video – “Behind the Scenes of My Foster Care Book”

    This week’s video is a “behind the scenes” look into my popular book about foster care entitled “From Both Sides”. In this vlog I discuss the inspiration behind the book and share a few short excerpts. I hope you will check it out! Feel free to comment and let me know what you think. You can […]

  • To spank or not to spank – what kind of discipline actually works?

    It’s been awhile since I have written a blog post related to foster parenting, but something has been weighing heavily on my mind and I would like to share it and allow others to share their own thoughts on the subject. As a foster parent, it is absolutely forbidden to give a child any physical punishments. No […]

  • Interview with Jennifer, foster and adoptive mother

    For my second personal interview, I have chosen Jennifer, a devoted  mom who has fostered over 40 children in the past six years, and ended  up adopting 5 of those kids.  Though she has been through a lot,  Jennifer keeps a positive outlook and has been able to help many kids by  offering her home […]

  • Right about now wishing we could change judges for our foster son…

    It may not be the same everywhere, since counties and states often vary  widely in their children’s services laws, but in many counties here in Ohio,  when a judge is picked for a case, you are pretty much stuck with them.   Nobody, including the family, foster family, caseworkers, therapists or  attorneys can request a different […]

  • Stupid foster care stereotype #1

    Sometimes it really makes me mad when I hear people make blanket statements  about foster or adoptive parents.  Such as the popular, “Most foster  parents only do it for the money.”  I don’t know who started this rumor,  but I wish they could really see the inside reality of what foster parenting is  like.  Don’t […]