Q&A with Deb Olshever, co-founder of Adoption Associates

Rachael Berthiaume, Staff Writer

Adoption Associates is a group of psychotherapists who support families and individuals pre- and post-adoption.

Q: In your own words, what is foster care?
A: “Foster care is a system that’s not perfect, and I wish it didn’t exist. Children are the future of the world; they are innocent and vulnerable. If parents aren’t capable of taking care of their kids, then the state can take the kids away. Some parents are just in it for the money, and some are in it for good reasons.”
Q: Do many kids end up in foster care due to teen parents who are not able to raise a child?
A: “Some yes, I don’t know statistics. Teens aren’t best to be parents, kids are a lifetime commitment and teens should be able to live their life and have fun before taking on the responsibility of raising a child. Teen moms don’t get how hard it is to be a mother.”
Q: How similar to adoption is foster care?
A: “The biggest difference is adoption is forever. It’s legal by law and very emotional. When a child is adopted into a family the child is not to be considered different to the parents than a child that was born into the family.”
For more information visit: adoptionassociates.org