“They asked us about our ‘love story.’ It was a bureaucratic nightmare. And no one was being honest with us. Some days are a struggle, but we are so grateful to be his parents.”
‘Are you in it for the long haul?’ NOTHING we had done prepared us for this moment.’: Mom shares complex journey to adopt son from foster care, ‘We can’t imagine life without him’
‘Will he ever have to leave us?’ my children asked. What I signed up for wasn’t what happened.’: Foster mom shares emotional journey towards adoption, ‘Our family is built on love’
“‘Your voice sounds SO familiar.’ They almost dropped their phone. I was overjoyed and heartbroken all at once. No matter how he came to us, he has always been meant to be my son.”
‘If he leaves, I will be wrecked.’ We fought together against the trauma he’d faced.’: Single foster mom says ‘this is just the beginning’ after adopting 2 sons
“For over a year, I raised brothers while living in limbo. I did every single mom thing—including falling deeply in love.”
‘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.”
‘My husband delivered earth-shattering news. ‘You’ve been a mother for 4 days and didn’t even know.’: Couple adopts son from foster care
“Most women have at least 9 months to prepare for a child. I had less than an instant.”
‘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.”
‘They had better things to do than feed him.’ He was blue and resembled an alien. ‘OF COURSE, we’ll take him!’: Foster parents adopt shaken baby survivor
“’We have a 2-month-old baby boy, failure to thrive.’ I had never seen anything like him. My husband had tears in his eyes as the caseworker filled us in. They didn’t expect him to do much. That sweet baby boy had given up, but we were not giving up on him.”
‘We don’t have a dad here.’ I scrambled how to respond. I was by myself, thrown head first into parenting.’: Single mom fosters 18 children, adopts son, ‘Our heartbreak is worth it’
“I went from getting licensed to being a single parent almost immediately. I was in over my head. Together, we are conquering his demons.”
‘You can only adopt if you have a relationship with the birth parents.’ I got months of abusive texts. Dad was loud and rude.’: Couple adopt foster son after roller coaster, ‘I’d do it all again’
“NOTHING prepared me for family visits. I didn’t know how to deal with the abuse. I felt betrayed and manipulated. But I’d do it all again.”
‘We ‘couldn’t handle’ being foster parents. We had just packed up our house and were moving in a week. ‘Do you have room for a placement?’: Family seeking adoption welcomes foster baby, ‘There is never a perfect time’
“We found out we were pregnant with our 4th child. We were very surprised! So many people tried to talk us out of renewing our license. I felt like I ‘couldn’t handle it.’ Then, we got a call. ‘Can you take him?’ I am willing to risk a broken heart.”
