DCFYI

This time of year is full of celebrations: weddings, graduations, reunions, the start of summer.

At Family & Youth Initiative, June also brings the annual birthday party, celebrating the birthdays of all DCFYI teens.

Before I landed my first "real" job, I held a variety of summer jobs and had many years of babysitting as a teen. I don't remember thinking too much about the basic skills I was gaining or how those experiences might help me in future employment. (except for money management; I still remember how carefully I tracked every penny earned from every babysitting job)

When thinking about the perceptions of foster care, a number of descriptors and experiences come to mind, but one in particular I wasn’t prepared for: loneliness.