Being a foster parent, despite all the personal joys, is often a complex and frustrating process of “”co-parenting”” with the “”system.”” Foster parents are in great demand, but they are not necessarily treated well. This book follows the author through the home visits, the Early Intervention evaluation, the WIC program that (with much bureaucratic hassle) provides free formula and cereal, and the mandatory parenting training sessions. It illustrates stigmatizing, demoralizing, and just plain inconvenient and time consuming being part of the “”unentitled”” population can be. Central to ANOTHER MOTHER is the issue of transracial placement. It is full of anecdotes and reflections about race: acceptance and prejudice from others; the feelings of her two children about having a sibling of a different race; and culture keeping, beginning with skin and hair care. This book should be read by everyone involved in the foster care system: parents and social workers alike as well as any family adopting transracially.

Author: Sarah Gerstenzang
Additional Author: Vanderbilt University Press
ISBN: 9780826515490
Count: 1