“I was supposed to be the short-term shelter in the storm. I had no intentions of permanency. Dead-set on only taking one kiddo at a time, I got a second call. ‘Can you take in his newborn baby brother? He was born premature.’ Suddenly, all my ‘rules’ went out the window.”
‘Can you take in a 9-month-old baby?’ A single twenty-something, I said yes to ‘a few weeks.’ I was prepared for temporary.’: Single woman becomes foster, adoptive mom to siblings
‘She was a homeless, single teen mom who aged out of foster care. She had 6 kids and was the same age as me! My heart broke.’: Single woman fosters 36 kids, adopts 2 children into ‘forever family’
“I made sure the case worker knew I spoke Spanish. I wanted him to have a familiar culture and language. ‘We have a baby boy at the hospital who is ready to be discharged. He is Hispanic. Are you willing to take him?’ This was the moment these 25 years and Spanish classes had prepared me for! I walked into the hospital with an empty stroller, and came out with a forever son.”
‘I made a HUGE mistake. The kids are gone.’ My heart broke. ‘Can you return and take her?’ It was too late.’: Mom describes ups and downs of foster care, ‘The journey’s been worth it’
“We met at a McDonald’s parking lot, her belongings in a trash bag, and had a quick goodbye. I was left dumbfounded. She would yell, ‘I’m going to burn your house down!’ People on the outside had no idea what went on behind closed doors.”
‘This isn’t the place for me. I just don’t fit in.’ He didn’t want to be adopted. We were broken.’: After foster heartbreak, couple adopt teenage boy, ‘He was given to us in our most desperate hour’
“’I just don’t fit here.’ He didn’t feel like he was good enough for us. We felt the weight during the entire process of trying to hold it all together. We questioned if we EVER wanted to be parents. I asked Joel, ‘Do you want to hear about another kid?’ He nodded. ‘Yes.’”
A love letter to single foster & adoptive moms
“What kind of woman chooses to upturn her life for someone else’s children?”
