![]() ![]() As a parent, I have always tried to provide my children with opportunities and to foster an environment that allows, supports, and encourages them to become self-sufficient and well-rounded adults. I feel children need to be loved and nurtured and grow up in a safe and loving environment that allows developmentally appropriate choices. I feel children need to be protected and advocated for. However, with all that, my children have always been the most important thing to me in the world. I also have an autistic child and must monitor the safety issues that may be present. ![]() One of my most pressing issues is to maintain my relationship with my daughter, Mercy, and do what’s right and not beat myself up for issues. I am a very imperfect person that struggles daily to be a good mom. As a mom, I often battle with my mistakes, all the millions of things I have done wrong and all the things I could do better. Mercy, 16, is currently living in a group home near our house. I have three children living at home (26, 22, and 17 years old). I live in Laveen, Arizona, with my four toy poodles. I am a mother of seven children, ages 33, 28, 25, 22, 20, 17 and 16. I feel I am a normal mom with extraordinary children, who I have been blessed to raise. In these pages, you will see through a mother’s eyes as she shares her deepest pain for her daughter, “Mercy.” In the end, justice is necessary and peace is questionable.īefore we dive into everything, can you introduce us to your family? Jones, an adoptive mother who is still trying to find the answers to these questions. But what happens when you discover the system that promised to help you, would betray you? What happens when you decide to enter into another realm of difficulty – fostering and adopting children who come with mental and physical baggage? ![]() These same parents are often told they will be supported in the rearing of their children and that adequate resources would be made available. Parents are in constant competition with societal influences and sometimes feel it’s an uphill battle. Choosing to foster and adopt proves to not be an easy feat. With the trajectory of today’s society, we can all agree that parenting is difficult. Jones tells the raw truth behind America’s foster and adoption system, sharing the day-to-day realities and challenges of raising children with mental and physical limitations, and tells parents (and would-be parents) what they most need to hear: It won’t be what you expect, and you are not alone. In “Shattered” (AuthorHouse, May 16, 2023), Jenell M. PHOENIX, Arizona – Adoptive and foster parents assume there will be adequate resources to support their growing families – but too often, the system doesn’t follow through. Press Release about our expert guest, plus more detailed interview notes from a past interview about her new book:Īdoptive mother shares first-hand experiences of under-supported foster and adoptive parents Jones’ blueprint of success can be summed up in a few statements: Be tenacious, be kind, be loving, but most of all…be forgiving. The goal is not to be perfect but to assist others in rising through difficulties. Through her life experiences, passion is the source by which she governs herself to make a difference. A native of Phoenix, Jones has provided her expertise to families for the last decade and currently hosts private discussions with other foster and adoptive parents on current issues affecting the nontraditional home. Her education background includes earning a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on autism spectrum disorders from Arizona State University. Jones is an early education entrepreneur, currently operating multiple early learning centers, which specialize in providing high quality learning experiences to children who experience trauma in low-income areas.
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