Mental Life And Poverty In Hope's Boy By Andrew Bridge

In Hope’s Boy by Andrew Bridge, he reflects on his decade spent in the foster care system and puts a spotlight on the horrors of a system that attempts to save children, but condemns them to physical and emotional abuse. As a seven year old, all Andy wanted was his mother, Hope. They shared such a deep love for one another that nothing in this world could tear that love apart. Being trapped in poverty and continuously being faced with tragedies, all they had were each other, until they didn’t anymore. With Hope’s mental health declining and having no one else to care for him, the child services took him from her. Hope became institutionalized and Andy was forced to go to a child care facility that was more like a prison. On the first night …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, Andy is living with his grandmother, Kate but then Hope reaches out to her and asks her to send him to California to be with her. Living with Hope was too unpredictable and chaotic for a child to be stable. She loved him and did as much as she could for him, but wasn’t prepared for being a mother. With Andy witnessing his mother get raped at knifepoint, being woken up at 2 am to rob a house then eat from the dumpsters and being evicted from their apartment to move in with a pastors family and when that didn’t work, moving into a motel, it is way to much for a child so young. He was not allowed to go to school because her voices were telling her they would take him from her. He should not have grown up the way he did. At such a young age, he is supposed to be learning the most and socializing with kids his own age in a safe and protective environment. Andy never got that. The way he turned out, defies all the odds and is pretty unrealistic. In the Early Childhood period, language and communication is developing rapidly and tend to be more interested in creativity, fantasy and play. They are supposed to be given chances to explore their environment and interacting with others which helps them gain valuable insight on the world and their environment. Andy never got any interactions with children when he was with Hope, therefore he didn’t get the knowledge needed to be able to socialize