In a time when the world has been forced to shift their focus inwards, our family has had the unique opportunity to be a part of something so much bigger than the four walls of our house: becoming foster parents. We’ve known that we wanted to grow our family through adoption since before we were married or before we gave birth to our two children who are now 3 and almost 4.5. So why did we choose to become foster parents? Why Child and Family Services? And why start this during a worldwide pandemic?
Although there are many beautiful ways to adopt we chose to do so through fostering. First of all, it gives us an opportunity to love on children in need of stability and safety. Secondly, we get to support parents who are trying to better themselves for their kids and if that doesn’t happen in a timeframe that’s best for the child, we get the opportunity to provide a permanent home for those in greatest need of one.
After deciding to go down the path of fostering, we first needed to decide what agency to work with. We didn’t know at the time how important this decision would be, but the more we worked with Child and Family Services the more grateful we were for the decision we made. Not only have they been extremely well organized and thorough but the content of the classes has been interesting, interactive and empowering. And all of these qualities became even more important as we learned more about how things would change as a result of Covid-19.
If you’re anything like us you are probably tired of hearing about how “uncertain” these times are, but we definitely were feeling the uncertainty as our hopes of opening our home to foster kiddos in May suddenly seemed jeopardized. But Child and Family Services quickly stepped into action, came up with a plan, communicated clearly and did everything in their power to help us stay on track for getting certified as soon as possible.
As of now, we are still awaiting our first placement, but feel equipped with the tools we need and know that Child and Family Services will have the necessary additional resources as we start our journey welcoming kids into our home. We would encourage anyone who is considering becoming foster parents to at least take that first step. You don’t have to have everything all together or all your concerns answered, all you need is a little extra space in your home but more importantly, your hearts. And if you’re worried you won’t be able to say goodbye, just think of how much harder it is if you never say hello. Join us in becoming a small, but important part in providing hope in our community!