“Our daughter cried a lot. Basically anytime she was awake, she was crying. Was it supposed to be this hard? We had hours of doctor’s appointments, therapies, and evaluations. But there would no longer be uncertainty for our little girl.”
‘She was exposed to substances in utero. She didn’t want to be held. I wondered if we’d made a mistake.’: Couple adopts daughter from foster care, ‘I am so thankful she’s ours’
‘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.”
‘We have 2 caucasian girls, one is 11 months and the other 4.’ She gets 2 multi-racial kids out of the car.’: Mom fosters 11 kids, shares lessons learned about trauma
“I decided I HAD to do one more placement. He was physically violent and verbally abusive. I felt like a failure as a mom. I never even thought about trauma training.”
‘I’m sorry I don’t smell like your mom.’ What the heck were we doing? We had no baby items at home.’: Couple adopts son with special needs, ‘We are finally a family’
‘Can you give me a call?’ There was a 3-week-old who needed a home. He had some medical concerns, but I felt drawn to the situation. I was apprehensive I was the one who pushed Ron into saying yes.”
‘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.”
‘You must have paid a pretty penny for him.’ I was speechless. No one ever admitted race was a factor.’: Mom describes transracial adoption journey, ’Love mattered most’
“’He’s white,’ she said. ‘Do you guys think this will work?’ We didn’t care about race. Everyone involved saw what was happening, but no one said a word.”
‘I didn’t want kids anyway.’ I put on a show. I was bitter. No amount of training could’ve prepared me for this.’: Foster-to-adoptive mom ‘thankful’ for infertility, ‘My eyes were opened’
“I was unable to carry biological children. ‘WHY NOT ME?’ I’d see news stories of child abuse, neglect, and murder. I’m not a very patient person. My heart was forced to explore other options.”
‘He craned his neck, trying to see me as they drove away. Every day, he wondered where I was.’: Foster parents help create law after separation from foster son, ‘We are so thankful for this victory’
“We fought for his rights and best interests. We were the only family he had ever known. I will never ever forget the caseworker driving him away. It was the most heartbreaking, excruciatingly painful thing. As soon as he left our home, we were working to change the laws.”
‘I think it’s best to move them into a 2-parent home.’ I had failed. They were concerned I wasn’t committed to their care.’: Single mom of 5 shares adoption journey, ‘These girls are my world’
“I got the call. ‘Can you take in your adopted daughter’s biological sister who has just been born?’ I hid in the bathroom and just cried. I sobbed to the CPS worker: ‘I know what my answer needs to be, but it’s going to be so hard!'”
‘You don’t have prior experience.’ We weren’t chosen. The ones she trusted most betrayed her.’: Couple struggling with infertility adopts, ‘It’s the beautiful chaos I prayed for’
“We got the call. ‘Why are you even asking? Tell them yes!’ We couldn’t believe it was real! We looked at each other scared out of our minds. Someone taking her would be the end of my world. This was by far our hardest blow.”
