Three Little Words Sparknotes

Three Little Words, a memoir by former foster child Ashley Rhodes-Courter, shares the long lasting effects that child abuse and neglect has on a kid. Taking place in Florida in the 90s, the book follows the journey of a girl holding on to a promise: to one day be reunited with her biological mom. In a span of ten years, Ashley Rhodes moves from foster home to foster home, losing hope in her mother’s promise. Between group homes, trailers flooded with foster kids, and a few homes where she’s the only child, Ashley grows up faster than she wants to as she faces trauma, pain, and physical abuse. Ashley was already dealing with a lot before entering foster care at the age of three. Her mother, Lauraine, had Ashley when she was only seventeen

Ashley expresses to her readers that no one in the system is alone– there will always be someone to reach out to in a time of need. Ashley is a positive influence for kids in hard situations and her book can be used as a safe place for kids to seek reassurance that they are loved and needed in the world. Foster parents should also be encouraged to read Three Little Words because it gives a new point of view for what foster kids are dealing with mentally. Ashley opens a new door for conversation as she shares her journey and how it made her

When a kid enters foster care, it is because their family has been deemed incapable of caring for a child or children. However, sometimes more of the pain comes from the foster care system itself. Between constantly changing homes, case workers switching, parental visits that may not go well, and separation from loved ones, foster children have been through a lot inside of the system. Three Little Words is open about all of this pain and is a great resource for insight on what may be going through a kid’s head. Ashley is more than qualified to speak on behalf of foster youth in America. Not only is the book written by her, but it is real life events that taught her how to not only survive but also thrive. Three Little Words was written with the intent of not only informing America about the struggles of growing up as a child abuse victim, but it also shares what happens inside of foster homes that most people are not aware of. Every foster care experience is different and Ashley saw the worst of the worst at a young