2. Foster Care Environment
Aft er being survived by his t eachers, David is sent t o fost er home. This new environment is really different from home. Therefore some of his
behaviors change since he becomes fost er child. a.
Significant Ot hers 1
Aunt M ary Aunt M ary is an elderly w oman w ho kept David at her house
from t he first t ime he became a fost er child. At aunt M ary’s house, David met seven anot her fost er child like him. He just knew t here w ere
anot her unw ant ed kids like him. Aunt M ary is st rict and discipline.
Aunt M ary w as a st rict , elderly w om an w ho st ood her ground, but she didn’t yell as she w as know n t o do TLB: 32.
From t he st at ement above, Aunt M ary seems strict but she is kind not as w hat people around said. She reflect grabbed David’s arm
and about t o scold him w hen David act ed w ild and uncont rolled but she cancelled it as she looked dow n at David w ho w as covered his face
and his knees began t o shake. The lesson David learned from Aunt M ary is not to be t oo close
w it h anyone because some day David must leave t he home. If David leave t he home, he w ill be very sad if he is t oo close w it h t he family.
The first tw o ultim ate rules of being a fost er child t hat I had learned w hile at Aunt M ary’s w ere never t o becom e t oo at t ached t o anyone
and never t o t ake som eone’s home for grant ed.TLB: 134
2 M s Gold
M s Gold is a social w orker w ho helps David t o free from his mot her’s hand. Because of her, David is sent enced t o be a w and of
court and becomes fost er child. His mot her cannot abuse him anymore. M s Gold is described as a w oman w ho is kind and has long and blond
hair. She is very care w it h David and t hey are close each ot her.
Her long, shiny blond hair and bright face m atched her name. “ Hi, ” she sm iled. “ I’m your social w orker.” TLB: 32
David learned t o be honest and brave from M s Gold. Act ually,
David w as afraid t o t ell t he t rut h about him and mot her. By M s Gold’s help, David t old t he t rut h honest ly. He also learned t o be confident t hat
David w as not sick but t he mot her. Therefore, he w ouldn’t blame himself about his past life. David shouldn’t get t he bad t reat from
mot her. The abuse mot her did t o David shouldn’t be done. David w asn’t w rong.
She w ould t hen bend dow n and assure me t hat I did not deserve t o be t reat ed the w ay I w as and t hat w hat m y m ot her did t o m e w as not my
fault TLB: 33.
3 Fost er Parent s
David moved five t imes from one fost er home t o t he ot her. His fost er parent s are: Rudy and Lilian Cat anze, M ichael and Joanne Nulls,
Jody and Vera Jones, John and Linda Walsh, and Harold and Alice Turnbough. David learned about love and freedom from his fost er
parent s. The love he doesn’t get from mot her and fat her and freedom t o prove t hat he is really exis, not only an ‘it ’.
For over 18 years, I w ant ed som et hing I knew I w ould never receive – M om ’s love. Wit hout a w ord, Alice opened her arm s. And as she held
m e, I suddenly realized t hat m y lifelong search for love and accept ance had finally ended in the arm s of a fost er parent TLB:
179.
David w as a bit surprised t o see his fost er parent Alice visit ing him in juvenil hall. He realized t hat he got his fost er parent s not from
his ow n parent s. In addit ion, he got freedom.
“ You m ean I get t o go anyw here I w ant t o?” I asked, am azed that I suddenly had all of t his unexpect ed freedom. TLB: 55
David could go anyw here and do everyt hing w hen he w as child fost er. In cont rast , he w as st uck and prohibit ed w hen he st ayed at
home. He should do w hat mot her ordered. 4
Fost er Kids Being a fost er kid, David spent his t ime most w it h ot her fost er
kids. They really influence David’s behavior. They liked t o play and somet imes t hey st ole and so did David.
Som et im es t hey st ole candy bars from t he local grocery st ores. Want ing t ot al accept ance and having already st olen food for years, I
imm ediat ely follow ed t heir lead TLB: 51.
Different from childhood t hat David liked school because t he school w as a place t o free from mot her, in t eenage David lost int erest
in school because school kept him from playt ime w it h fost er kids. In t his t ime, his handw rit ing became w orse just like chicken scrat ch.
In m y new school I had com plet ely lost int erest . I no longer absorbed m y subject s as I had just a few w eeks ago. I sat behind t he gray st eel
desk halfdazed, scribbling on m y papers, count ing down t he minut es unt il t he end of t he school day. What w as once my sanctuary soon
becam e a prison t hat kept m e from my playtime at my fost er hom e. As m y at t ent ion span drifted, m y handw rit ing, once cursive and
graceful, becam e chicken scrat ch TLB: 51.
In short , David learned t o play and t o st eal from his fost er kids t o get t heir accept ance.
5 John
John is a classmat e of David. John st uck out like David. He had scraggly, long black hair and t hin. John had a very dist inct ive w alk. He
also smoked.
Like me, John st uck out. He had scraggly, long black hair and t hin, w ornout clot hes. John had a very dist inct ive w alk, and I suddenly
realized t hat no one seem ed t o pick on him . As I ran up t o John, I not iced a cigaret t e in his hand. TLB: 104
In opposit e, David w as alw ays be ceat hed by his friends. Therefore, David joined w it h John’s gang supposing no one insult ed
him. Act ually, David realized t hat becom ing John’s gang means t rouble.
I accept ed John’s challenge, know ing I w as get ting int o trouble. TLB: 105
One day, John w as doing his plan burning school. David w as blamed t o t his act . He w as sent t o juvenile hall, t he place for fost er
children w ho end up in t rouble. He learned t o be naught y and get t rouble from John.
6 M ichael A. M arsh
M ichael A. M arsh t augh David about polit e. One day, David ent ered M ichael’s house w it hout permission. Then M ichael asked him
t o go out and t ry again t hen knock t he door. Aft er t hat , t he man bow ed at t he w aist as he w aved his arm, permit t ing David t o ent er. David w as
w elcomed w armly. Besides, David learned t o broader know ledge t hrough reading
from M arsh. He read many books in M arsh’s library in his house especially about airplanes.
Dave, I spent hundreds of hours sit t ing in a corner of M ichael’s fam ed “ Hall of Knowledge, ” reading books about m ovies, race cars
and airplanes TLB: 168.
In addit ion, M arsh encouraged him t o be a pilot . He said t hat David w ould be t he next Chuck Yeager or Charles M anson.
How ever, Charles M anson w as an Ace fight er pilot .
M ichael once w arned. “ I have plans for m y young w ard. I predict t hat M r Pelzer here will becom e t he next Chuck Yeager or
Charles M anson. As you can see, I’m st ill w orking on t he det ails.” TLB: 168-169.
b. Lesson Learned from 12 t o 18
In t his age, David became fost er child. His behavior changed because he w ant ed t o search love and accept ance. He also w ant ed t o
express of freedom by being hyperact ive. Approaching eight een years old, he became w orkholic because a fost er child w ouldn’t be on w ard of t he
court in t he age of eight een. Therefore, he t ried t o get money t o fulfill his needs in t he fut ure. Here are David’s behavior in t he age of 12 t o 18:
1 Freedom
While living at home, David felt as if he w as st aying in jail. On t he cont rary, he could do everyt hing as a fost er child. He got freedom
aft er survived from mot her. Feeling freedom , David act ed w ild, uncont rolled and hyperact ive t o express his feeling for last years of
silence. He also became t alkat ive and liked t o scream.
From t hat m oment on I becam e a wild child. I blitzed t hrough t he hom e as if m y pant s w ere on fire. I joked, laughed and scream ed
w it h joy, releasing years of solit ude and silence TLB: 30.
Because David alw ays kept silent at home, he began t o be w ild as he got freedom at fost er home. He screamed and laughed as
t he expression of his feeling.
I w as uncont rollable. I ran from room t o room , jum ping on every m at t ress in t he home. I bounced so high m y head banged again and
again against t he ceiling. I didn’t st op until I saw st ars. TLB: 30
David couldn’t cont rol t he happiness of freedom. He ran from door t o door and jumped. He also became hyperact ive.
For t hat evening m y hyperactivit y ended as quickly as air could escape a balloon. TLB: 31
2 Conform it y
The environment at fost er home w as different from his mot her’s home. David t ried t o adapt w it h his new environment . He did
conformit y t o t he environment around him. How ever, he searched for love t hat he didn’t get at home. He did everyt hing t o get t heir
accept ance.
I so badly w anted t o be liked, t o be accept ed by m y class, my school – by everyone TLB: 26.
One day David saw one of his friend st ealing. Then he show ed his abilit y in st ealing t o his friends. They gave applause and show ed
t heir accept ance. Different from previous w hen he st ayed at home, he did st ealing not because he w as hungry but because he w ant ed ot her
children accept his exist ance. Therefore, somet imes he did st ealing alt hough he didn’t need t he t hings he st ole. He only beared t he goods
in front of t he st ore or gave t hem t o children. He realized t hat w hat he did w as w rong but he st ill did t hat act t o get accept ance.
Want ing t ot al accept ance and having already st olen food for years, I imm ediat ely follow ed t heir lead If someone st ole t w o candy bars, I
st ole four. It seemed so easy t o m e t hat aft er a few afternoon t rips, I became a legend wit hin t he group. I w as fully aw are t hat w hat I
w as doing w as w rong. I also knew that som e of t he bigger boys w ere using me, but I didn’t care. After years of isolation, I w as
finally accept ed w ithin a group TLB: 51.
3 Workaholic
At fift een years old, David w as fear at t he t hought of how he w as going t o buy food or w here he w ould live. He knew t hat in t he
age of eight een, he w ouldn’t be on t he w ard of t he court anymore and should st and by his ow n foot t o make m oney. Therefore, he
began t o make money and w ork hard in t he age of fift een because for him fift een means count dow n.
Whenever t hey bragged about t heir w eekend ski t rips, I’d t hink about how I could squeeze in an ext ra hour of w ork. TLB: 159.
In addit ion, he also learns how t o cook from Alice t o ensure he can cook for himself. He is afraid t hat he cannot cook by himself
w het her he should be independent at t he age of eight een.
I w as pushing 16 and did not know how t o cook for m yself. Alice assured m e t hat she w ould teach m e w hen t he t im e cam e. I
persist ed. I w ant ed t o learn how t o cook now TLB: 159-160.
3. Larger Society
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