Word for Word: One rosy view

By JEANNE MALMGREN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 14, 2002

From Rosie O'Donnell's applications to be a foster parent in Florida.

Becoming licensed as a foster parent involves multiple home inspections and interviews with social workers from the Department of Children and Families. They look in your medicine cabinets, inspect your kitchen and test the temperature of your hot water. They ask your income and watch how you discipline your kids. If the investigators like what they see, you're in.

Talk-show host O'Donnell first applied to be a Florida foster parent in 2000. Every year since, her license has been renewed. A 2-year-old girl was placed with O'Donnell in June 2001 and later moved to an adoptive family. O'Donnell currently has no foster children. Here are a few samples of what DCF social workers had to say about her.

-- JEANNE MALMGREN, Times staff writer

It's out of the question Comedian Rosie O'Donnell is coming out fighting. She and other gay adoptive parents oppose Florida's law that forbids homosexuals from adopting children. O'Donnell takes center stage tonight on ABC.

Ms. O'Donnell is a warm and caring individual who has been very enthusiastic in bringing to the forefront the need to help children in care. She has used all the available mediums to her to strongly advocate about what can be done to help our foster children, as well as educate others as to what the needs are. Ms. O'Donnell has a strong sense of family and is very bonded to her children and foster child. She has done all she can to help her foster child adjust to her home and feel loved and secure. . . .

Ms. O'Donnell is a fantastic communicator. She shared examples of her excellent creative strategies in describing behavioral redirection to her children. For example, her foster daughter is extremely fearful of monkeys. As such, Ms. O'Donnell decided to purchase "monkey spray" at the local grocery store and communicated with her foster daughter on how to utilize this spray, what its uses are, etc. . . .

Ms. O'Donnell's family and support system are wonderful, warm individuals. They support her efforts in being a foster and adoptive mother and her parenting philosophies. We are very blessed to be associated with a woman of her caliber. . . .

It is this writer's respectful recommendation for Ms. Rosie O'Donnell be relicensed for two children, male or female, between ages 1 to 12, of any race or ethnicity for the period from January 1, 2002 to January 30, 2003.

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