When Blue Hess was with his biological family, both his parents and their extended family abused and neglected him and his siblings. They had drug abuse problems, and problems with alcohol. According to Blue, his dad would beat and punch him all the time.
In the documentary film License to Parent, Blue tells the story of how he was at his father’s house in his room and was hungry. “I was so hungry and I know my dad was in the house but I couldn’t get the food because I’d get in trouble. So I remember walking to my father’s room, opening the door, and he’s having sex with a woman. He sees me, catches me, and I remember getting so freaked out I run back to my room, and lock the door. He breaks the door open and starts beating me. And all I wanted to do is ask for food.”
As a child, Blue didn’t understand what his parents were doing to him was wrong. It became part of his life. He says he didn’t fully understand how bad it was until he learned other kids at school weren’t treated like that. Someone stepped up and pointed this out, and Child Protective Services removed him from his family.
The good news is he got away from them, but the bad news is all of the problems he had to endure in the foster care system until a good family finally adopted him. The scars of what he had to endure are something he still carries with him today as a grown-up.
Clearly, Blue was born into a situation that his parents had no ability to handle well, and this just isn’t right.
You can see Blue’s story in our recently released documentary film, License to Parent.