“I take it for granted until I am the one sitting in the courthouse waiting an hour for a 10-minute hearing. There is still so much I cannot make up for.”
‘She struggled to get out of bed. It was like giving up her own child.’: Foster dad shares his appreciation for his wife’s role, ‘I am so proud of the heart she has’
‘We’re here for you.’ Foster care isn’t all broken or messy.’: Foster mom reflects on the beauty of foster care, ‘It’s not all hard’
“I am rooting and fighting for them to leave me and for my heart to be ripped apart. It is priceless, heartbreaking, and beautiful.”
‘Two men should not father two little boys.’ It was a kick in the gut.’: Gay foster dads find ‘happy ending,’ adopt siblings
“’Are they trying to turn us off to being foster parents?’ My anxiety was through the roof. The judge made eye contact with us both. ‘Wow.’ We could not hold back our tears.”
‘The phone call felt like a punch in the stomach. He’d become part of the family.’: Foster mom starts nonprofit to help families through ‘the cycle of love and heartbreak’
“They described a 3-year-old boy, nonverbal, tantrums; the list was long, but we felt called to say ‘yes.’ We decided to do everything we could for this child. Time was NOT on our side.”
‘Amber, what if we’re supposed to max out our home?’ We both froze.’: Couple adopts 7 kids from foster care, ‘We’re incredibly blessed’
“It hit us like a ton of bricks. For every biological child we had, there’d be one less child we’d be able to pull out of the system. It pushed us forward to finish the race.”
‘Why does he act like that?’ My home was a war zone. But I wouldn’t take back that time even if I could.’: Woman shares advice to new foster parents, ‘Find your people’
“That birth mother I met at the DHHS office? She and I could have easily traded places. I’d be a fool to believe I was called to love my children, and not their parents.”
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Foster Parent
“In our journey to open our home and our hearts, I failed to find true, honest, and comforting resources to show me what I could expect. So here I am, closing the gap.”
‘We’re going to miss you. Will you visit us one day?’ It was time to take them home to their parents, for good. As I drove away, the tears came flooding.’: Single foster dad shares emotional reunification journey
“You love them through the nightmares and trauma. You hold them when their parents don’t show up. You love them so dearly, because holding back would be so much less than they deserve. When I return the child I’ve nurtured as my own, I must trust their parents will be the best they can be. If not, I will always be there waiting, with open arms and an open heart.”
‘Why not have your OWN kid first?’ He’s JUST as much ‘our own’ as any biological child. He crushes every ‘impossible’ goal.’: Family adopts son with autism, ‘It’s better than we dreamed’
“They told us, ‘He may never speak full sentences or want to leave the house.’ His smile lit up the room. We pushed him to be the BEST he could be.”
‘He’s a biter. Will you take him?’ He was dropped off with nothing but the clothes on his back. By the time he left, he called me ‘Mom.’: Single foster mom shares journey, ‘I was made for this’
“He ran from me, crying and frightened. ’What has he been through? What has he seen? Can I do this?’ God sent him to tell me I COULD do this. It’s not an easy calling, but I am living God’s word.”
