“Life Unexpected” Addresses Foster Care, Finding Birth Parents
From left, Kristoffer Polaha as Baze, Britt Robertson as Lux, and Shiri Appleby as Cate. Photo by Michael Courtney / The CW.
“Lux” (actress Britt Robertson) is a 16-year-old foster child who has been moved from one “crappy” home to another and wants to be emancipated.
So she must find her birth parents “Baze” (Kristoffer Polaha), and “Cate” (Shiri Appleby) to sign the paperwork. However, Baze and Cate end up getting joint custody of Lux and Lux discovers her birth parents still have a lot of growing up to do themselves.
“You can’t be anyone’s parent’s,” she says. “You need parents.”
That is the basic plot of “Life Unexpected,” a CW drama premiering Monday at 9 p.m. The program tackles issues social workers handle daily, including adoption and what happens to older foster children. This leads to our question:
Q: Is the plot of “Life Unexpected” is realistic? Do older foster children sometimes reconnect with their birth parents or is the program painting a fairy tale scenario?
For more information on how social workers help young people such as “Lux” visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.
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I think that it happens quite often that children who are “aging out” of the system return to their families of origin. I think the fairy tale scenario has more to do with the fact that Lux’s biological parents seem to be middle class, successful and don’t seem to have any mentail health or substance abuse issues. I’m interested to see how Lux ended up in foster care to begin with – disrupted adoption? I hate when TV portrays child welfare/foster care incorrectly – its a pet peeve of mine. If done well, the show could be great – but unfortunately I have serious reservations already.
My experience has been that when kids are removed and disconnected from their families they go on a journey to find their family as soon as they have the freedom to do so. I am currently producing a feature length documentary about six kids who recently aged out of foster care. It is a harsh reality for these kids yet something that needs to be paid attention to and addressed. I would say the plot is realistic and the subject matter holds real drama if you want to go toward the truth. to view our trailer – http://www.fromplacetoplacemovie.com
Unfortunately, there are several factors to consider here; race, culture, and other circumstances surrounding the separation of the child from her parents. Statistically, the probability of foster care youth locating their biological parents, having a supportive and welcoming reunification, and having biological parents who are financially, emotionally, and mentally stable and able to accept and nurture the return of a foster or adoptive child is like watching a Disney movie. But that does not mean it can’t happen. Realistically, many of the foster care and adoptive clients that I serve expressed at one point in treatment their dreams of reuniting with their family and it being this wonderful life- and because its so wonderful, they cant understand why they are in foster care or why their parents gave them up.
I have been privileged to undergo personal experience and those with other friends from foster care who have attempted to locate their biological parents. While I cannot speak from their point of view, I still cry…but I found closure. Whether or not I wanted to hear or see my possible life environment, it was what I needed to begin my healing process. I only wish that I would have been more compliant as a youth in foster care.
My new book called “Separated Lives” is a true story about the adoption of a baby boy. Years later I take him on a fascinating but uncertain journey to search for his birth parents. It is available from Dorrance Publishing (in Pittsburgh, PA) http://www.DorranceBookstore.com, Barnes & Noble barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com.
Author: Lynn Assimacopoulos