Foster Mom Says She Will Never Forget What Her Foster Daughter Said When She Was Handed A Basket Of Folded Laundry
Small acts of kindness can mean the world.
Ron Lach / Pexels Brittany Collins has built a major following on TikTok by sharing her experience as an emergency foster mom. She creates content that touches on the emotional and practical aspects of foster care, educating followers on the nuances of a complex system while advocating for foster kids’ needs.
Collins told the story of one specific moment as a foster parent that greatly impacted her.
Collins said she’ll never forget what her foster daughter said after being given a basket of folded laundry.
“Kids often come to me with dirty clothes or just things they grabbed, so I always offer to do their laundry,” she explained. “In the morning, while breakfast is cooking, I always fold their clothes and put them in a laundry basket so they’re ready to go.”
“I’ll never forget the one morning I had a teen girl staying with me, and she came out, and I gave her her laundry basket of folded clothes,” Collins said. “She kinda looked up at me and goes, ‘You folded my stuff?’”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Is that okay?” Collins replied.
The girl “just stood there and looked at the basket, and she goes, ‘I’ve never had my clothes folded before.’”
Photo: Sarah Chai / Pexels
“I said, ‘Well, you know, folding your clothes is just how I show you I care about you,’” Collins said. “And ever since then, even though folding clothes is not my favorite thing, I kind of see it as an act of love for every kid that comes to my house.”
For Collins, folding her foster kids’ laundry is ‘just a small way to show them I care.’
It’s clear that Collins cares deeply about the children who stay with her. She does everything she can to help them feel safe and comfortable during a difficult transition.
Photo : Annushka Ahuja / Pexels
In another post, Collins described the interconnected levels of loss foster kids go through, noting, “It’s about so much more than just being ‘removed.’”
“When thinking about trauma, remember that kids in foster care lose more than family,” she explained before listing off the important touchpoints that get lost when kids are placed in foster care.
“They also lose their school, their pets, their traditions, their ‘smells’ [of] family [and] home, their friends, their photos and sentimental items, their sense of identity, their plans with friends, what events would look like, [including] prom and graduation.”
Because those losses can be so abrupt, Collins makes an extra effort to give her foster kids a sense of comfort and belonging. She creates emergency placement baskets packed with items for kids to use and take with them when they leave.
She gives her foster kids an array of toiletries, including bar soap and body wash, deodorant, and lotion. She provides a toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush, and a comb.
Along with practical necessities, the baskets also include creature comforts, like fuzzy socks, a cozy blanket, and a journal and pen for “big feelings to write [or] draw.”
The foster care system is hard for kids of any age to navigate. While the teens who stay in Collins’ home are only there for a short time, her acts of love and kindness provide them with a soft place to land, however brief it may be.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.