I lived with my foster family from the time I was 12 until I graduated from high school.
The family I lived with had two other sons. They were two and three years older than me.
The judge who presided over my placement in this home said I was very fortunate to be in this family. He said most families will not take older kids. He said I was getting a second chance in my life and not to blow it.
If you read my answer to "What was it like to be 12?" then you will appreciate my enthusiasm for the idea of having a new start in life.
Ironically, neither the judge or myself had any idea of what awaited me.
Enthusiasm waned with each beating I received. Appreciation for a new start turned to despair with every daily assault to my mind, body, and spirit. As this occured before Child Protective Services existed, there was no monitoring by the state for this particular home.
There are no words to describe how it feels to be a kid who is terrorized and dehumanized everyday for six and a half years.
My experiences were not the norm. The life lessons that prevailed made me exceptionally strong and resilient.
I survived my childhood. I survived the foster home from hell. The life I lived then is a far cry from the life I am blessed to live today.
My foster family and my birth mother had no skills for the parenting experience. I had to regrow myself with the help of a higher power.
I learned their treatment of me was only a reflection of what was missing in their lives.
They never healed from the trauma in their lives. Fortunately, I have.
Forgiveness is healing.
It takes time. Years of therapy and time spent in the rooms of recovery paid off.
Eventually the scars faded on the inside and the outside.
Love and kindness have replaced hurt and pain. Gratitude and humility have replaced anger and resentments.
Everyone has a story. Challenges and obstacles are ours to overcome on a daily basis.
We can choose to be defeated by hardships and difficulties or become better because of them.
It is a matter of choice and attitude.
I have been blessed with the presence of mind and strength of spirit to know, my life made me the person I am today. I am thankful.
I am not perfect, but my intentions to be loving, caring, honest and compassionate are pure.
As for outcomes, I am a work in progress. God is not done with me, YET!
Read other answers by Michele L. Gaddis on Quora:
- What are some unique, effective ways to discipline a child?
- As a 23-year-old guy, am I too old to date a 19-year-old girl?
- What is the saddest thing you have heard a child say?
from Quora http://ift.tt/2bWR2lu
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