FOSTER PARENTS CAN PROVIDE INVALUABLE SERVICE

Parenting is a tough job. While it is one of the most important tasks a man or woman will undertake, it is a job that doesn't come with handbooks or step-by-step instructions.

Often, people parent as their parents did. Unfortunately, that includes families rife with abuse.

When the parenting process breaks down, foster parents provide a safe haven for children.

About 100 people gathered to honor Cape Girardeau County's foster parents at a special banquet last week honoring 48 local foster parents. These individuals take in as many six abused children into their homes at one time.

Cape Girardeau's police chief, Rick Hetzel, emphasized the role of foster parents as mentors in lives of troubled youths. These men and woman can really make an impact as positive role models.

They can help to counteract the learned behavior of violence that passes child abuse from one generation to the next.

About 80 children in Cape Girardeau County have been removed from abusive families and placed in foster care. The state hopes these children will eventually return to their families when the cycle of abuse or neglect has been broken.

Foster parents are indeed special people.

They take these children into their homes, providing love and care for uncertain periods of time. Many of these children are traumatized not only by the abuse, but from their removal from the family. Parenting these troubled children demands considerable patience and devotion.

They must complete specialized training for the job. And they walk a fine line between caring for these children, and caring too much. They must learn to let go when the children are returned to the biological parents. Sometimes that must be the hardest task of all.

These foster parents come from all walks of life. Some are parenting their own children. Others have raised their children and are using that knowledge to help foster children. For some, this is their first venture into parenting.

Some foster parent full time. Others provide care only on the weekends. Volunteers are always needed, and interested persons can call Cindy Stone at 290-5800.

What if everyone tried to make a difference in at least one child's life? The world would be a very different place indeed.