S03.E05: Going South

[Tara Ariano]

Callie and Brandon go on an unplanned trip to Mexico. Meanwhile, an empty pregnancy-test box is found in the house, and Stef and Lena wonder if someone may be pregnant.

[Valny]

Can't any TV/movie character ever destroy a pregnancy test box so it won't be found?! I have yet to see this! but then again, we wouldn't have the drama it they didn't. (I usually take scissors to stuff I don't want discovered)

 

I don't know how it's exactly found, so we'll see. But still.... grrrr...  Rant/nitpick over.

[KaveDweller]

The whole episode, I was wondering whether Callie told Brandon to take his passport on their little adventure.  I'm glad it wasn't just a plot hole and just a case of teenagers really being that stupid.

[lilB1rdy]

Jude/Connor really are my main reason for watching this show so it's hard to be interested when BOTH aren't in it. I understand Connor not being in every episode but how are you gonna show everyone who lives in the Adams-Fosters house except Jude and no explanation for where he is...like...you wouldn't have Callie randomly missing from an episode and no explanation, but ok

Anyway...

I don't care for Brandon or Callie so I just thought that whole storyline was lame. I thought she was using parasailing as an excuse and that there was a bigger reason to go to Mexico. Callie's never happy so I thought she was on drugs or something when they first got to the beach, I think that would've made more sense.

I like Stef and Lena but I guess I just didn't get the sudden tension between them when they were good and happy last episode.

Didn't care for Mariana's pregnancy test story but I'm happy that she's not pregnant. I did love her "they forced me to tell!" from upstairs when Callie and Brandon got home.

I really like where they're going with Mike and AJ. The fact that we got that white police officer accusing AJ of being an accomplice was really powerful to watch especially since all of the police brutality that's been going on. Such a real, current problem. AJ is also really good looking, he can get it anyday, any time. I just don't like that they're already trying to pair him off with Callie, just to add more drama to Brallie. And they are fooling themselves if they're gonna have Brandon's scrawny ass win against AJ in that fight next week.

 

[LeGrandElephant]

Callie hasn't had enough drama lately? Callie doesn't have any stories? Yeah right. What a stupid premise for an episode.

Do they really let you drive into Mexico without checking passports or warning you need them on the way back? It is true that back in the day you could cross that border with just drivers licenses, right? And do they really let kids back in for playing dumb?

I thought the plot with AJ was way more interesting than Callie and Brandon's stupidity. (Mostly Callie's stupidity but Brandon went along with it.)

Edited July 7, 2015 by LeGrandElephant

[teenj12]

So I'm conflicted about the episode. Nothing really happened, but that's the good part too....it was relaxing. For all intents and purposes, this was a filler episode and a breather before s*** hits the fans. I actually liked Callie having fun for once, doing something a regular dumb teenager would do. It's nice when her whole world is not falling apart. The argument between Callie and Brandon was something they've probably been needing to get off their chest for awhile, and I admit I was shocked that Brandon told her that "things were better before you got here" . It reminded me of the things he said to Marianna and Jesus when Stef got shot way back in S1. 

 

The Marianna stuff was boring, but I'm glad that they sat and talked with her. I swear, if more parents were like Stef and Lena, the world would be a better place. I also liked that Stef realized that marraige counseling is what Lena and her need.

 

The AJ-Mike convo was very touching. As a black guy myself, I totally understood AJ's position. I like that Mike was able to break down AJ's walls a little (and might I say that this was one of Danny Nuci's best acted scenes.), very similarly to the way Stef is able to get through to Callie.

 

Next week looks like hell. The Brallie stuff will probably be back, and this point I'm getting disturbed. Lena and Stef will seriously need to consider if they are going to adopt Callie with their son being madly in love with her.

[smrou]

Oh man, that Callie/Brandon storyline was just ridiculous and pointless beginning to end. The goal was to have Brandon accept his own role in what happens in his life and for Callie to...have more stories? There's Callie, little miss followed-around-by-trouble, and she's all, "Hey, I've got a free day. Guess I'll cross the border into Mexico and go hang gliding with some company I don't know anything about run by people I can barely communicate with. No chance this could land me in any trouble!" Whatever. Just silly and stupid. 

 

I'm pretty interested in the Lena/Stef storyline. I just adore them as a couple and if anything threatens their relationship in a genuine way then I will be one seriously pissed off viewer (or...no longer a viewer), but it's definitely true that poor communication, and particularly one of them making decisions without the other, has been an ongoing issue.

 

I'm really not on board with Callie getting involved with a foster brother yet again--like it wasn't cringeworthy enough the first time, she ought to know better now, and even if he's living with Mike...I mean, that's still kind of family at least to the extent that it could cause serious drama. On the other hand, AJ is at least a lot more interesting and appealing than Brandon ever was.

Edited July 7, 2015 by smrou

[KaveDweller]

Do they really let you drive into Mexico without checking passports or warning you need them on the way back? It is true that back in the day you could cross that border with just drivers licenses, right? And do they really let kids back in for playing dumb?

 

I don't know about Mexico, but you used to be able to get into Canada with no passport.  It reminded me of an episode of American Crime, where the drug addict character tried to talk her boyfriend into running away to Canada because you don't need a passport.  He kept saying you need one and the drug addict didn't believe him.  When your characters remind you of strung out drug addicts I think you have a problem.

 

I doubt they let you back into the U.S. by playing dumb, no matter how American/innocent you look, especially not if you are a minor. But I've never tried, so who knows.

[LeGrandElephant]

I vaguely recall that you used to be able to cross borders to Canada and Mexico without a passport but it was changed sometime in the past ten years or so. Could be wrong though. Too lazy to look it up. I do seriously doubt that they could get back in without passports without some serious paperwork that would involve calling their parents at the very least. I mean, there must be a system for people who lose their passports in Mexico, but I don't think it's "play dumb and get in anyway". It doesn't seem very nice to let people leave without a warning that they'll need passports to get back in. Was there a sign they ignored?

[smrou]

Sure, it used to be the case that a passport wasn't required for either the US/Canada or US/Mexico borders and it was fairly recently that that changed, but by "fairly recently" I mean something like ten years ago, which is not recent from the perspective of either Brandon or Callie. So they really should have known. 

[SparklesBitch]

Very first thought on this episode: where can I get a pair of pants like Stef's?????? They were so cute!

 

Anyway....I was incredibly annoyed by the whole Callie and Brandon storyline. I mean...Mexico. Really? If she wanted to go para-sailing that badly, she probably could have talked Stef and Lena into it pretty easily. I mean, the kid has had a tough life, the least they could let her do is have some crazy fun. And also the whole "Brandon, you make your own drama" speech. She's right, he does sometimes. However, he never asked to be paired with Kat or her crazy, so I give him a pass on dealing with it in not such a great way. But seriously, Callie's one to talk about drama. Granted, she's had a bunch of bad things happen to her that were beyond her control, but she's made some pretty questionable choices herself. The whole time she was lecturing Brandon, I kind of wanted to knock her upside the head and say "Pot, meet kettle. You're black."

 

AJ's whole storyline broke my heart. My grandfather has Alzheimer's, so I totally get how hard it is to answer the same questions literally twelve times in five minutes and having to keep explaining who you are. It's tough. After awhile, you find it's easier just to go with whatever year/time they think it is and agree to being whoever it is they think you are. I really loved the whole scene between him and Mike. I was all teary-eyed when Mike kept insisting he believed in him and he was going to be there for him. Well done, show. Also, the other cop was a jerk. Ugh. The only other thing I'll say is, I've done ride a longs. Stay in the damn car, AJ!

 

Mariana bored me to tears (even though I loved her line "they made me tell!") and I thought the Callie/AJ stuff was kind of cute. He's such a good looking kid, I can't blame her for being a little smitten! =)

 

Lastly, Stef and Lena. Hoo boy. I love them to pieces but they really do need to work on their communication. I could see the contractor's comment about their marriage coming a mile away, but I liked that it gave Stef a kick in the pants. I adore them so much I even love watching them bicker.

 

My favorite is when Lena gets sassy though...and a little sarcastic. Whatever she said about Stef catching her having an affair with the neighbor and being pregnant with....an inflatable snowman, I think? That was awesome. I wanted to high-five her through the TV. Also, their collective reaction to the thought of Callie being pregnant with Brandon's kid cracked me up. Stef throwing her head back a little and going "oh god" killed me, especially with that eye-roll thrown in.

 

...and as much as I love Connor and Jude.....I kind of didn't even notice they were gone until Jude showed up in the preview. Oops.

[KaveDweller]

It's apparently been required since 2009 when travelling by car, which is later than I thought, but early enough that Callie and Brandon should have known better.

 

You only need a passport to enter Mexico if you are going beyond a "border zone," so I guess we can give the writers the benefit of the doubt that the hand gliding place was within that zone.

[Aliconehead]

As some one that drives in to Mexico regularly, they NEVER check. Unless they think you are carry something, they just wave you in. I cross regularly at three of the four borders here in San Diego. If you fly, yes but if you drive no.

Now coming back across, you do need one but people still cross with out one. A lot still try to use their birth certificates, it's hard to keep some one who is American out. The Customs agents, the guys at the border gates, will generally let you in but send you to secondary inspection area and then you get yelled at.

[Glade]

I can't believe Callie didn't shoot A.J. down, and tell him that actually, Mike is still part of their extended family, and they've already fostered together...so, it wasn't appropriate with Brandon, it's not going to be with A.J, especially if he really wants to stay with Mike.  And it's also going to cause a lot of conflict with/between Brandon and his parents, since if they did allow it to happen, that would be really hypocritical.  I think Brandon plays a role in his life, but so has girl-drama, but the same can be said for Callie, so whatever.  I am glad...nasty blond pianist wasn't the one waiting in the kitchen, I thought they'd be forced to reconcile and get back into the program together, and then probably end up dating.  If she's gone from the show completely, then good.

[izabella]

I'm pretty interested in the Lena/Stef storyline. I just adore them as a couple and if anything threatens their relationship in a genuine way then I will be one seriously pissed off viewer (or...no longer a viewer), but it's definitely true that poor communication, and particularly one of them making decisions without the other, has been an ongoing issue.

 

I thought it was interesting that Stef seemed shaken that Oscar the Contractor believes their marriage is in trouble, and that it must be in trouble if it took Oscar to point it out to her when Lena had been saying so and Stef had been minimizing and dismissing Lena.

Edited July 7, 2015 by izabella

[LisaM]

I really didn't like the Callie/Brandon "let's run off to Mexico and go hang gliding" plot at all. Just didn't strike me as something that Callie would do. Conversely, loved the Stef/Lena scenes because it felt as if we have been building up to couples therapy for most of the entire series thus far. I'm sure that the Monte kiss will finally come to light during therapy. Cracked up at the moms interrogating - and apologizing - to Mariana. Also loved the Mike/AJ scenes especially in light of current events. I really hope that Callie does not hook up with AJ; she needs to find a boyfriend outside of their extended family unit. Missed Jude.

[izabella]

I really hope that Callie does not hook up with AJ; she needs to find a boyfriend outside of their extended family unit.

 

This.  1000 times this.  Even Wyatt has been brought into the family unit via Mariana.  Actually, I think she ought to stay out of romantic relationships for a while, and try being on her own.

[LeGrandElephant]

As some one that drives in to Mexico regularly, they NEVER check. Unless they think you are carry something, they just wave you in. I cross regularly at three of the four borders here in San Diego. If you fly, yes but if you drive no.

Now coming back across, you do need one but people still cross with out one. A lot still try to use their birth certificates, it's hard to keep some one who is American out. The Customs agents, the guys at the border gates, will generally let you in but send you to secondary inspection area and then you get yelled at.

Ok, then I stand corrected and the plot doesn't seem to have any holes there.

[smrou]

I really hope that Callie does not hook up with AJ; she needs to find a boyfriend outside of their extended family unit.

Or just continue to not have a boyfriend. It's just so unnecessary. 

[LeGrandElephant]

If you have to worry that your son may have knocked up your foster/soon-to-be-adoptive daughter, maybe there's a problem with that situation. And yes I agree Callie and AJ dating is still complicated if he's at Mike's, but maybe not out of the question. Even if Mike adopted him they wouldn't share any parents - just a half brother in common, uh... Yeah, I don't know. It's tough when you keep bringing new hot unrelated teenagers together and having them suddenly have to behave like siblings.

[skeskali]

I vaguely recall that you used to be able to cross borders to Canada and Mexico without a passport but it was changed sometime in the past ten years or so. 

 

Canadian here. *waves*  You can't get into Canada without a passport, passport card, or a NEXUS card. The requirements are the same for Mexico. Whether they actually check when you cross into Mexico is different story.

Edited July 7, 2015 by skeskali

[RachelKM]

Bah, I found this episode annoying as hell.  I don't like Lena and Stef fighting; it stresses me out like they're real. I only liked Mariana and AJ's scenes with MIke.

 

 I am glad that Callie called Brandon out for his mopey, drama queen bullshit.  He really is a drama factory and has made some appalling choices all on his own, so blaming the women in his life was just asinine. Which why the idea that he is right about Callie and AJ just makes the already annoying Callie and AJ set up worse.

 

As for the Mexico issue, I haven't crossed the border by car or foot in years (I used to live in San Diego and before that southern Arizona).  But from what I recall, back when it was just drivers licenses required, we were never asked anything going in to Mexico.  It was always on the way back that we were asked to show ID.

Edited July 7, 2015 by RachelKM

[Primetimer]

The Fosters start slinging truth bombs, but a few big ones remain undetonated.

Read the story

[Aliconehead]

Canadian here. *waves*  You can't get into Canada without a passport, passport card, or a NEXUS card. The requirements are the same for Mexico. Whether they actually check when you cross into Mexico is different story.

Yes Canada is much stricter, I had cousins that were turned away because they thought they could get in with out a passport.  Mexico generally does not care.  Coming back you definitely need one but as I said, people still try to go with out one. You are also supposed to be over 18 in order to cross alone, but again they do not check while driving.  On Friday and Saturday nights, US Customs and Border patrol will wait on the US side and check IDs going in if you are walking, but not always,  Honestly it is really easy to go back and forth to Mexico, over 300,000 people do it daily in San Diego alone.  Many people work on one side and live on the other.

[maddog1219]

Well the Callie/Brandon thing pissed me off because if you are in foster care, you are considered a ward of that state, so you cannot leave the state without a court order, because then you are out of the state's jurisdiction. So leave the COUNTRY...come on! She is a ward of California and she cannot leave that state because then legally, she would have no protection. I know it seems weird but that's what you get when a government is serving as mom and dad. So the whole scene just bugged me because that would have never happened and I rely on this show to get the foster care thing mostly right. That was just so wrong. If social workers found out, Steph and Lena could have been in big trouble. (When I wanted to take my son out of the state to see his new grandma, before adoption was finalized, I needed a court order to take him out of the state).

All was redeemed however in the scene with Mike and AJ, which truly touched me and I thought was wonderful. It is true, you just need one person to believe in you. And AJ has every reason to be skeptical. And Mike handled it great.

I do think that with Mike spending time and energy on AJ and Callie spending whatever on AJ, Brandon is going to no be happy at all. Brandon is so mopey and entitled. He just bugs.

[ShadowFacts]

I'm in this mostly for the nontraditional family, not so much for the teen-specific drama, so Brandon and Callie's excellent adventure wasn't my cup of tea to begin with.  But as someone said upthread, this was out of character for Callie.  She gets off probation so she immediately does a dangerous thing (they could have been killed like 5 different ways) and with her parents' car, and lies about what they did when she gets back.  The two of them should get major repercussions but I am not holding my breath.

 

I may be old school with parenting, but I did not think Stef's treatment of Mariana was remotely harsh, and it bugged that Lena called it that and Stef apologized to Mariana for it.  A 15-year old having sex, excuse me, asking a few pointed questions to get her to talk and think is not what I consider harsh.  And I disagree with Lena's characterization that she was shaming her.  It was somewhat redeemed by the conversation they both had with her later, but that and then just letting Callie flounce upstairs while Brandon got to talk to a visitor -- it all is just too lax in the parenting department. 

 

AJ and his scenes were the most interesting, he is one of those people/actors who just ooze the personal magnetism and he clicks with everyone he has a scene with.  Like most, I do not relish a romance with Callie.  But I am dreading even more what might happen to him with/about his brother and/or the police, it seems like they are foreshadowing something dire.

[izabella]

Wasn't Callie adopted so she's no longer a foster?  I thought that happened when Callie's dad dropped his legal actions and signed the papers to give up his parental rights?  Was the adoption delayed again for some reason?

[izabella]

I'm in this mostly for the nontraditional family, not so much for the teen-specific drama, so Brandon and Callie's excellent adventure wasn't my cup of tea to begin with.  But as someone said upthread, this was out of character for Callie.  She gets off probation so she immediately does a dangerous thing (they could have been killed like 5 different ways) and with her parents' car, and lies about what they did when she gets back.  The two of them should get major repercussions but I am not holding my breath.

 

I may be old school with parenting, but I did not think Stef's treatment of Mariana was remotely harsh, and it bugged that Lena called it that and Stef apologized to Mariana for it.  A 15-year old having sex, excuse me, asking a few pointed questions to get her to talk and think is not what I consider harsh.  And I disagree with Lena's characterization that she was shaming her.  It was somewhat redeemed by the conversation they both had with her later, but that and then just letting Callie flounce upstairs while Brandon got to talk to a visitor -- it all is just too lax in the parenting department. 

 

I completely agree on both counts.  No, it's not acceptable to sneak around, ask Mariana to lie for you, and run off to another country!  WTF?  There should be consequences, significant ones, or what is to stop Callie from doing something like that again?  As it is, they don't even know that Brandon gave away his keyboard as a bribe to those cops, much less the hang gliding.

 

And as far as Mariana goes, there is nothing wrong with asking questions and talking with Mariana about WHY she should choose to have sex and WHY she shouldn't choose to have sex.  "I love my boyfriend" is a good reason to have sex.  "I felt rejected by my boyfriend, so I drank a lot with another guy and then had sex with him while drunk and hurt," is not a good reason and will make you feel bad about yourself when you sober up.  This is called parental guidance - it's not enough to teach teens about safe sex.  You also need to teach them about healthy and unhealthy relationship choices.  I felt this way about Jesus and all his girls, too.  Safe sex is not all there is to say about sex!

[ShadowFacts]

 

 

Wasn't Callie adopted so she's no longer a foster?  I thought that happened when Callie's dad dropped his legal actions and signed the papers to give up his parental rights?  Was the adoption delayed again for some reason?

I do not think we have seen the formalized adoption yet.  It may only be a matter of amending a petition or getting on the court calendar or something, but it doesn't seem official yet.

 

[Ikki]

I'm still in the process of watching it, but I was feeling this episode up to the "We need passports?" part.

What the hell, Callie. How do you not understand how international travel works.

[Melgaypet]

I'm still in the process of watching it, but I was feeling this episode up to the "We need passports?" part.

What the hell, Callie. How do you not understand how international travel works.

 

Teenagers are dumb, is all I can think.

 

And yeah, what is up with Callie's adoption? THAT WAS KIND OF A BIG DEAL. Robert signed the papers, so there's nothing holding it up anymore.

[LisaM]

 

Well the Callie/Brandon thing pissed me off because if you are in foster care, you are considered a ward of that state, so you cannot leave the state without a court order, because then you are out of the state's jurisdiction. So leave the COUNTRY...come on! She is a ward of California and she cannot leave that state because then legally, she would have no protection. I know it seems weird but that's what you get when a government is serving as mom and dad. So the whole scene just bugged me because that would have never happened and I rely on this show to get the foster care thing mostly right. That was just so wrong. If social workers found out, Steph and Lena could have been in big trouble. (When I wanted to take my son out of the state to see his new grandma, before adoption was finalized, I needed a court order to take him out of the state).

Great point that I never thought of.

[maddog1219]

As far as I have seen, she is legally clear to be adopted but has not been yet. No one has even really mentioned finalization. I assume it would be kind of a deal on the show.

 

And I just figured out she had to go to Mexico for the hang gliding because she was too young to do it in the states. Either way, not in love with that plotline.

[LisaM]

Callie has not yet been adopted. There was a scene where she mentioned to Jesus on the phone that he had to come back for her adoption.

[stopeslite]

 

I thought it was interesting that Stef seemed shaken that Oscar the Contractor believes their marriage is in trouble, and that it must be in trouble if it took Oscar to point it out to her when Lena had been saying so and Stef had been minimizing and dismissing Lena.

 

I totally understood that. What Lena was saying sounded more like "we need to talk about this, we need help, we need a counselor", the kinds of things that, honestly, Lena says all the time. She says it to everybody about everything, so it's easy to see Stef not taking it really seriously. But when you're blindsided by someone who's only seen you for an hour or so saying it's obvious that you're about to break up, that's a huge wake-up call .

[Ikki]

And I just figured out she had to go to Mexico for the hang gliding because she was too young to do it in the states. Either way, not in love with that plotline.

I'm pretty sure Callie "had" to go to Mexico so that the writers could sort of have the suggestion that maybe she was pregnant, even though of course she wouldn't be.

 

Also, total side question, but if someone who was in foster care and therefore a ward of the state wanted to seek an abortion in a state with parental consent laws, what would they do?

Edited July 7, 2015 by Ikki

[ShadowFacts]

 

Also, total side question, but if someone who was in foster care and therefore a ward of the state wanted to seek an abortion in a state with parental consent laws, what would they do?

I think a legal guardian can give consent in that situation.  If there is no consent, most states have an "escape hatch" where the young woman can appear before a judge, and is entitled to an appeal.  I don't know how it works in practice, though.

[amyruthanne]

Maia Mitchell has fabulous hair (as seen in the recent Teen Beach 2 movie), so how come she can't get a better do on The Fosters? Callie has started dressing better than when she first arrived so I'm guessing she learned how to use a hairbrush and a blow dryer? Surely Marianna has given her some styling tips?

[LeGrandElephant]

I'm pretty sure Callie "had" to go to Mexico so that the writers could sort of have the suggestion that maybe she was pregnant, even though of course she wouldn't be.

 

I agree, but it was stupid for a lot of reasons. We all knew the test would be Mariana's because she's the one who had recent ill advised sex, and also the preview showed her worrying about being pregnant. Callie wouldn't need to go to Mexico to get an abortion - California doesn't have parental consent laws. And if Callie needed an abortion I doubt she'd be all excited about it and bringing Brandon along for the day. It seems really out of character for Callie to run off to Mexico to go hang gliding, like she hasn't had enough drama in the past year. They could have easily done the same plot by having someone see her coming out of an abortion clinic, either because she was going to some other thing in the same building, or because she was supporting one of her friends from Girls United who had to go there, or something like that. 

[Perfect Xero]

I don't think they were trying to fool the viewers as much as they were fooling Stef and Lena so we could get a scene of the two of them speculating that Callie was pregnant with Brandon's child, since they're apparently going forward with Callie being romantically entangled with new foster brother AJ, they probably want her past with Brandon at the front of everyone's minds.

[Eeksquire]

Finally had a chance to watch the episode last night and, while it was ok overall, I was continually distracted by Brandon's car.  I get that he would have a different car, since I believe the accident in the season finale was the crappy Volvo that he drove, but: what's with the Mini-Cooper? Seriously? The family that discusses financial issues on the regular and who needed Stef's father to buy them a new car because they couldn't afford a decent used one now suddenly has the money for a freakin' Mini Cooper? Even used, they are not cheap, and there's no way that the insurance funds from the accident that totaled the crappy old Volvo would pay for a Mini.

 

It just was so incongruous that I couldn't get over it.

[rue721]

As it is, they don't even know that Brandon gave away his keyboard as a bribe to those cops, much less the hang gliding.

 

I think they're probably going to find out if/when Brandon gets back into Idyllwild but has no keyboard to compose on!

[stopeslite]

 

I think they're probably going to find out if/when Brandon gets back into Idyllwild but has no keyboard to compose on!

 

HAHAHAHAHA I hadn't even thought of that! i was wondering how losing the keyboard would come back to bite him.

[GenevieveS]

 

Also, total side question, but if someone who was in foster care and therefore a ward of the state wanted to seek an abortion in a state with parental consent laws, what would they do?

Not sure about abortions, but I did foster a child that had several serious cranial surgeries while in care. There was great confusion over who could sign his consent forms, but all agreed that I (the foster parent) could not. My foster license gives me the right to approve "routine" medical care -- vaccinations, well-child doctor visits, minor illness doctor visits (ear infections, strep throat), dental exams, etc -- and some "emergency" care -- when another foster placement (a 5 week old preemie) stopped breathing briefly and we took her to the ER, we could sign the form to admit to the ER. When it gets to non-routine but not "exigent circumstances" (which I would assume an abortion would be considered to be), it gets murkier. The hospital thought that DFCS had to sign; one caseworker thought the biological parents (who were actively working their case plans and ultimately got reunified with their child) had to sign. We had several days of lead-up time to the first surgery, so we just got signatures from both. One later surgery, the caseworker insisted she wasn't allowed to give consent and wouldn't sign anything. Thankfully, the hospital intake nurse that time was one who'd seen us before and she let us go on with just the parents' signatures. It was all very confusing. That same nurse later advised me to get a letter from DFCS stating that the parents "had the right to consent to treatment."

 

My guess? It would depend on the case. And maybe the judge. And probably the caseworker.

[Melgaypet]

Geez Louise. Yeah, I guess providing medical care for foster children is not something that should require clear protocols or anything. Lets make it as confusing and difficult as possible!

[GenevieveS]

Geez Louise. Yeah, I guess providing medical care for foster children is not something that should require clear protocols or anything. Lets make it as confusing and difficult as possible!

Sadly that last sentence pretty much describes the whole system. Rules upon regulations upon procedures all tied up in knots of red tape. I "know" (via the internet) a foster mom in TX who has to get permission from her judge to travel out of town for any amount of time at all, in spite of the fact that TX law says she only needs permission if she's leaving the state or going to be gone more than 72 hours. As maddog1219 said, Callie would definitely have needed approval to leave the country like that and probably wouldn't have gotten it. (On the other hand, it doesn't surprise me that she did it without the approval. Sometimes the layers of rules make it even more tempting to just throw up your hands and do what you want anyway. Don't tell, but I've driven my foster kids out of state without permission too; we went 15 minutes over the state border, were there for about 2 hours, then drove home. I just crossed my fingers and planned to drive back over the border to a hospital if necessary....)

 

On the topic of the actual show... :)

 

I loved the scene between AJ and Mike about believing in AJ and not letting him "live down" to low expectations, but I hope it's not that easy. By AJ's age, that first response of not trusting Mike should be pretty deeply ingrained. I think the show's done a good job with Callie in showing how long the process of learning to trust an adult can be, so I'm hoping they'll give us the same reality check with AJ.

[Eeksquire]

 

I hope it's not that easy. By AJ's age, that first response of not trusting Mike should be pretty deeply ingrained. I think the show's done a good job with Callie in showing how long the process of learning to trust an adult can be, so I'm hoping they'll give us the same reality check with AJ.

I agree that's reality, but I hope AJ's not around long enough to go through that with him the way we did with Callie.  He's just not that interesting to me (and the latent "will they or won't they" nonsense with Callie makes him less interesting than he might be otherwise).

[possibilities]

How can we get people to believe an care that the system is so crazy and inadequate? I have been talking about this with a friend, and not just based on the fictional Fosters, but based on real life stuff I've witnessed personally, and misc stuff I've read elsewhere, and it's just not sinking in. I feel like I need to be able to point to one concise but somehow also detailed document, that "proves" the problems are not just exceptional anecdotes, but I don't have one single document like that. Ideas? What are the best tools for consciousness raising around this issue? No one so far wants to read entire books or be moved by particular individual stories.

 

RE AJ, I think he could be an interesting character I'd like to see stick around, but only if he's not used primarily to fuel the "teen lust" angle, which bores and annoys me, however realistic it might be that teens do act like that.