Laura’s Story

Laura started being filmed as part of “The Day I Picked My Parents” at 17-years-old. At the time, she had been in foster care for 3 years. “Sometimes I do think about it. Like why am I in the foster system? I don’t want to be here anymore,” she said.

She describes her experience growing up with her mother as lonely, as her mom was constantly working, and Laura wasn’t able to see her often. She also felt like she was taking care of her mom, instead of her mom taking care of her. She realized she wanted more support and desired to be better-taken care of. She still had a strong connection with her mom and saw her once a week, but said: “I know if I was with my mom, things wouldn’t be good.”

Laura never wanted to be adopted, but she felt like she needed a stable adult in her life. She wanted new experiences. “I just want to start fresh,” she said. Her social worker referred her to Kidsave so she could start making positive connections with potential mentors and hosts.

In April of 2018 at her first Kidsave event, Laura met Ann, a caring adult who Laura described as outgoing, fun, and active. “With Ann, I feel like we have a good connection…. As I started spending more time with her and I started getting to know her better, I started liking Ann,” she said.

Ann came to the program looking to help an older child. Her parents were foster parents of several teenage boys. And after sending her children off to college, she committed to helping other older kids who need a place to call home. “People sometimes ask ‘well why does a 17-year-old want to be adopted or want to have a family?’ They want a home to come home to, just like our kids come home for their years in the future. That doesn’t just end when you turn 18, to want that kind of family.”