Life as a Resident Sibling

Commended Entry: "Life as a Resident Sibling" by Natalie Treu from Montana/ USA

This article was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Essay Competition 2022 in the Senior Category 12 - 15 years.

Life as a Resident Sibling

Hi. I'm Natalie. But you can call me Ali. And I am a Resident Sibling.

What is a Resident Sibling you ask? A Resident Sibling is a kid-teen whose family welcomes a foster child or adopts a child into their home. I'm sure you know what a foster kid is. Maybe even you are a foster kid or have been adopted. But Resident Siblings are a huge part of foster care! But sadly, we are just starting to get recognized.

Anyways, my experiences as a Resident sibling are quite interesting, let’s just say. But those experiences have formed me into the person I am now!

It all started when I was seven and we welcomed our first foster child into our home, Natalie. Crazy right? We have the same name. But luckily, I have a nickname. Ali. So, I am now known as Ali. I'm 14 now, so I've been a Resident sibling for half of my life!

One year later, we welcomed our next foster child, Annie. Now, Annie and Natalie are biological siblings. We prayed for an entire year that we could get her little sister. We are still praying now for their brother. But, When I started this journey, I thought it was going to be easy. Boy was I wrong. It's SO HARD!

Then again, I'm grateful for this experience. Because it has helped me become more understanding and kind of other people's experiences.

If you are reading this and feel the call to become a foster parent, I ask you, do it! Welcome a child into your home! Every Number Has A Name. Think about that!

Foster care is one of the most difficult things you can experience. It is a hard but beautiful battle. So, as I end my essay about being a resident sibling, I thank you for your time to read this and my apologies for not more information. I would prefer to keep most of my stories confidential. I had a lot of fun writing this essay and I hope you had fun reading it!

Congratulations on your insightful essay "Life as a Resident Sibling", Natalie. Thank you for sharing your very special story! Well done!

Natalie Treu is homeschooled in Montana/ USA. English is her first language.