Drinking Age To 18 Essay
Every day in America a teenager turns 18 years old. For some it means a new car, freedom, or the excitement of no longer needing your parents’ permission on serious decisions. For others its dreadful turning 18 because means that they have “aged out” of the foster care system with no afterward plans or support. Each year it is estimated that 20,000 young people age out and this is tragic because they have no one to turn to, they have no home to go to and they are forced into adulthood before they are mentally/physically ready and they still need assistance.
In the governments eyes being 18 means there able to get a full time job, own a house or car… Their legal, so what do they kids need us for? We have other kids to worry about also. But …show more content…
Penns Senator LeAnna Washington says “The issue [of aging out] needs to be addressed earlier on so that the foster child can start to prepare,” she says. “Otherwise, when the child turns 18, they may come home from school and their foster mother might tell them, without the funding, they can’t stay there any longer. They haven’t been prepared for the aging out process and suddenly that security blanket is gone. What do they do? Many might turn to drugs or to the street. What do you do when suddenly you’re lost in the atmosphere feeling like nobody cares about you or your well-being any longer?” Debra Schilling Wolfe, executive director of the Field Center, says this lack of emotional connection—the sense of being cared about—may be one of the hardest aspects to handle for foster youths who are aging out of the system. “Imagine if you will that your birthday came and went and nobody even wished you a happy birthday,” she says. “That’s what many of these kids experience. The system provides them with physical and emotional support but only until they’re 18—or in some states 21—and then they wash their hands of them. You can’t pay somebody to care about you.” Studies have shown that while traditional preparation would be to focus on skill building, their most important attribute needed to succeed is learning to build relationships. Its important for them to have a caring adult figure in their
In the governments eyes being 18 means there able to get a full time job, own a house or car… Their legal, so what do they kids need us for? We have other kids to worry about also. But …show more content…
Penns Senator LeAnna Washington says “The issue [of aging out] needs to be addressed earlier on so that the foster child can start to prepare,” she says. “Otherwise, when the child turns 18, they may come home from school and their foster mother might tell them, without the funding, they can’t stay there any longer. They haven’t been prepared for the aging out process and suddenly that security blanket is gone. What do they do? Many might turn to drugs or to the street. What do you do when suddenly you’re lost in the atmosphere feeling like nobody cares about you or your well-being any longer?” Debra Schilling Wolfe, executive director of the Field Center, says this lack of emotional connection—the sense of being cared about—may be one of the hardest aspects to handle for foster youths who are aging out of the system. “Imagine if you will that your birthday came and went and nobody even wished you a happy birthday,” she says. “That’s what many of these kids experience. The system provides them with physical and emotional support but only until they’re 18—or in some states 21—and then they wash their hands of them. You can’t pay somebody to care about you.” Studies have shown that while traditional preparation would be to focus on skill building, their most important attribute needed to succeed is learning to build relationships. Its important for them to have a caring adult figure in their