Been a Foster Parent Since...
2005
Type of Foster Care Provided
I have fostered 6 children, adopting one
How the Decision Was Made to Become a Foster Parent
I kept getting phone calls requesting me to foster while waiting for my adoptive placement.
How We Shared Our Decision with Friends and Family
When the girls arrived, I brought them to my parent's house and called all the family members to come in and meet them. My family and friends knew I was waiting for a pre-adoptive placement having no idea as I had no idea that I was about to become a foster parent. But when the call came that if I didn't take these two beautiful girls, they would put them in the hospital, I had to take them and absolutely cherished every moment I had with them.
Lessons Learned
- Keep a journal of what the child does so if they go back to family, the family will know the day the child first spoke or walked.
- Send the children with their clothes in suitcases not duffel bags. I had a 7 year old who was ashamed of the duffel bag. I think it gave her some dignity.
- Make sure you have a drawer dedicated to the child's clothes.
- I immediately take pictures of the child and put them in frames around the house so they see they are part of the home.
