Our Journey Through Foster Care Part 1
When my husband and I finally decided
it was time to take that step toward adoption, there were two factors
that helped us decide which route we would take. First we decided
that there was no way we could afford an international adoption.
(Even while China had their two for the price of one special!)
Second, there were two families in our church who were foster
parents.
We probably asked them a hundred
questions! Such as:
~ How do you give a child up when it is
time for them to move on?
~ What is respite care?
~ How much is the stipend paid to
foster parents?
~ What kind of training do you have to
go through?
~ When the social workers come to your
house do they look in every closet?
~ Is there a possibility that we could
adopt a foster child?
~ Could we be foster parents while we
lived in military housing?
A couple of the questions may sound
pretty silly, but you need to realize that some of these questions
were reactions to stories we had heard our friends tell.
After asking our questions and
receiving the answers, we would then go home and discuss them. The
next time we met them we would ask some more. This went on for a few
months. Finally, one of the women told me that the agency she was
working with was looking for new foster parents and that my husband
and I should apply.
Our friend gave us the phone number,
and encouraged us by saying that we would make good foster parents.
That call changed our lives forever. Classes were going to begin in
a couple of months and there were a few things we needed to do first.
Over the next few weeks I want to share
with you those steps, the paperwork, the classes, the medical exams
and the background checks. I’ll also share our thoughts and
feelings along the way. Oh yeah, and I’ll give the answers to the
questions above!
If you have questions please leave a
comment! I love to hear from my readers! I’d also really like to
hear your stories, you can send
me an e-mail or leave a link to your blog.
