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kandscreeley wrote:Not being a foster child myself, I'm not sure I can really speculate too much on this. However, I do believe that our experiences shape who we are. That's not to say that we can't rise above those circumstances and experiences. I do believe that these shaped Alex and maybe even caused some of his behaviors.

I totally agree with you on that.

Our foster system is inadequate in so many ways and I understand that this is widely the case almost in every other country as well. It is such a delicate process and has so many different factors that equate the overall outcome and happiness of the child that moves through the system and sadly almost everything is handled by the never-ending rules but only few involved really care.

Let's not forget Alex was finally rejected by both his foster families and also physically abused by the former and emotionally abused by the latter. I think these experiences shape his future lack of commitment and somehow detached attitude toward other people, especially young girls who in his mind are prospective wives and mothers and this would involve having a family of his own.

Jaime Lync wrote: ↑01 Jun 2017, 22:08 I think that foster children are not that much different from children who live with their biological parents. None of us choose our birth parents. I think that Alex might have been negatively affected by the foster parents that took him in but he had the lady who ran the foster care centre so he was better off than someone stuck with bad parents.

I absolutely agree with this. Sometimes people have such bad parents and a traumatising upbringing that can make any foster child feel lucky!

I really sympathized with Alex's story about his foster parents. Personally, I didn't grow up as a foster child and wouldn't comment on the effect of being one.

kandscreeley wrote: ↑01 Jun 2017, 11:41 Not being a foster child myself, I'm not sure I can really speculate too much on this. However, I do believe that our experiences shape who we are. That's not to say that we can't rise above those circumstances and experiences. I do believe that these shaped Alex and maybe even caused some of his behaviors.

That was my thought too. Alex seemed to have a problem with making attachments in his relationships.

Everyone is shaped by their experiences growing up; this is not an experience unique to foster children. However, foster children do tend to face different struggles from children who grow up with their biological families, especially if their families were loving. As a result, I do believe that Alex's status as a foster child did help shape his behavior, although it's hard to tell for sure specifically how. Did growing up without parents cause him to reject the authority of the adults who try to save him from himself? Does his deep desire for affection cause him to become obsessed with Eva while at the same time keeping him from saying no when he has the opportunity to cheat on her? Perhaps, but perhaps he would have behaved the same way even with the guidance of his biological parents.

I think it made him trust a whole lot less. He doesn't divulge the secret of his powers to anyone except those who could explain it, even Mrs. Jenkins, whom he views as a mother figure. I also think it makes him a little dismissive of those he encountered later in life, like his love interests as we saw.

I think his experiences stuck with him and determine how he goes about viewing the world and how he subsequently acts in it, something I think is common to most foster children.

Foster children are not always this social kind of people.