When I was 10, my best friend’s non-custodial dad lived 30 miles out in the country with his 2nd wife. She was a complete asshole. They had a 4-year-old daughter and took in foster kids for money. They already had 2 foster kids, and got 3 more the first week of December.
I went with my buddy for a weekend at his dad’s in mid-December. “Cathy” made clear to everyone that the new kids would not get presents because the state only gives money for Christmas presents if foster kids arrive by December 1st; since the 3 kids came after that, she wasn’t getting money for them and wasn’t spending her own.
These kids, about 7, 9, and 11 were covered in bruises and welts from their abusive father. (In the late 80’s in Michigan, shit had to be bad for kids to end up in foster care.)
I came home, told my mother, she called around and found that was not how foster reimbursement worked but wanted to do something for the kids because that WAS how Cathy worked. My mother called my friend’s dad and claimed our church had money for this sort of thing and would like to buy presents for the 3 kids. Really, my parents were doing it.
So my parents spent about $300 buying each kid a bunch of small toys, several large toys, and a decent new coat. My mother wrapped everything in 3 different papers, tagged everything, and gave a complete itemized list to the dad of what everything was.
Happy ending, right?
My buddy told the kids on Christmas Eve they were getting presents from a church so ignore Cathy. On Christmas morning (it was his year to be at his dad’s) the presents my parents bought were re-wrapped, re-tagged, and divided among the other 4 kids. The 3 new foster kids got nothing, which they would have expected except my buddy told him they’d have presents.
We were 10, and my buddy immediately knew what happened. Plus I’d TOLD him what the gifts were because I’d watched my mother wrap them. He loved the Lego sets that were intended for the oldest boy.
My mother was furious, called Cathy, who was unapologetic, then called and wrote a long letter to the County Child Services. Nothing happened. They still take in an occasional foster kid. They’ve been in the paper for the dozens of kids they’ve “helped” over the years. But those stories never quote the former foster kids, or their own kids for that matter.
So yeah, I knew of one family of abused siblings who got nothing for Christmas.
