[Temple Drake]

Orphanages are probably better than foster families -- many of whom are not normal, married couples and too many of of whom are in it for money.

[conservativeinbflo.]

"...please sir... can i have some more?"

[LiteKeeper]

SITREP

[afraidfortherepublic]

But they couldn't change the facts: Institutional care is bad for kids.

So is parental and step-parental abuse and neglect.

[dogbyte12]

What would be easier for a case worker to regulate? 100 foster homes on his case load, or one orphanage with 100 kids? Hell the guy could just camp there every day.

I think that for those kids who aren't adopted, an orphanage might be a better option if it is well run. Kids in foster homes get lost in the system.

[stuartcr]

There should be a nation-wide poll, and everyone that is pro-life should have an orphan assigned to them.

[Lorianne]

Well this is interesting give that I just had a discussion on another thread in which some advocate the State taking away children from their parents, not for abuse, but because they are poor.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/930740/posts?page=280#280

So rather than financially helping out a poor parent, some advocate taking their children away. Of course, we'd still have to collect taxes to pay for the upkeep of kids who won't be adopted. In the meantime, they lose their biological parent as well.

[waRNmother.armyboots]

Do boarding schools where the rich who do not want to be bothered with the rigors of rearing their own children send their children count as institutionalized care? If not, it should. It is basically the same if not worse. As to institutionalized care, the cottage homes are very similar to a large family and I think better than living in an orphanage of Dicken's day by far.

[stylin19a]

I have mixed emotions about orphanages

My sister was 6 & I was 8 when we were put in an orphanage. I stayed until I graduated from High School.

I HAD a lot of resent about the treatment I (and every other kid) received.

Nuns took care of the raising of the kids. There were house mothers and teachers. The house mothers provided for our well-being. We were well fed, clothed and disciplined.

The teachers were, well.. teachers. In High School, we went to school half days and learned a trade the other half of the day. The rest of the school day was finished at night, after supper.

We had our own bakery, shoemaker, doctors, florist/greenhouse, paint shop, print shop, garage, kitchen powerhouse, carpenter shop

Life was pseudo-military. In grammar school, we lived 30 to a cottage, 1st graders through 8th graders. Sleeping areas were dormitories. Movements were by formations. Everyone had chores.

Discipline mostly consisted of harsh corporal punishment.

In reflection of my life, over time, my resentment has turned into being gratefull. I have no idea what would have happened to my sister and I had we not been sent to the orphanage.

Maybe there is a way to provide the same types of things I was able to experience...without the discipline & military blurprint.

[Aliska]

used for family-preservation services.

What a novel idea.

[mlmr]

I hope so. For all their problems there is a lot more oversight and instillation of good values in the orphanage system.