Experiences

This interview was conducted by Laura at the home of Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin. The family lives in East Menlo Park, California. As Laura reflected after interviewing this family she said “It was interesting how this family that I frequented had been connected to foster care and I was amazed by the fact that any child can fall in to foster care no matter who they are or how they are”.

Pictured above: Artesia with her sister Chelasy. Artesia was adopted in 2001 by a local Californian family.

Artesia McLaughlin became the foster child of Melody McLaughlin and Roland McLaughlin at the age of one and a half. Before this she lived with her grandmother, as a foster child and staying with the McLaughlin family on the weekends. Since the McLaughlin’s were her godparents they wanted to help her grandmother out. In 2001, their foster child became their adopted child when her grandmother passed away 2001. Mr. McLaughlin said “if it wasn’t for her (Artesia) I would have probably never considered foster care or adoption”.

After the family had Artesia for several months, they became extremely attached to her and decided to go for adoption. Mr. McLaughlin said that “foster care was a stepping stone for adoption”. When they had Artesia as a foster child they did receive some money every month which Mr. McLaughlin says isn’t enough.

When asked what he believed was hardest about foster care he said “that you get attached to the child and if they are older that they seemed to create their own ideas and have their own personalities and cultures.” The parents seem to be very happy and their 15 year old daughter who was very involved in the process is happy with the decisions that her parents took. Mr. Rolland McLaughlin at the age of 55 says he does not regret adopting Artesia. Artesia said she hardly remembers her life before but she remembers drawing with her grandmother.

Would you like to print this page? PRINT