The new Sesame Street character Karli was introduced earlier this year. Karli is in foster care and now we've learned why. Karli's Mom struggles with addiction. Children who have parents struggling with this sickness can often feel alone. The puppet Karli learns that she's not the only child whose parent struggles with addiction. Karli's friend Salia expressed how her parents also struggle. Salia explains how her parents addiction is a sickness and the puppet responds saying, “Yeah, a sickness that makes people feel like they have to take drugs or drink alcohol to feel OK. My mom was having a hard time with addiction and I felt like my family was the only one going through it. But now I’ve met so many other kids like us. It makes me feel like we’re not alone."
Sadly many kids have lived with someone who has struggled with addiction. Sesame Street hopes that having puppets like Karli can be a comfort to children dealing with similar situations.