We mirror this Jesus when we leave our comfort to step into brokenness...The fact that the system and its people are broken is the very reason we engage it.
All tagged foster child
The Answers to All of Your Foster Parenting Questions
I don’t just struggle through the “how” questions, I struggle through the “why” questions, the “what if” ones. I don’t just question myself, I question God.
This Moment With Our Son - Lisa's Story #writeyourheartout
This moment that hit me hard, almost as if I had walked into a brick wall. And I thought to myself, “We are literally all he’s got.”
"This is Us" Isn't Just a TV Show
Seeing foster care and adoption on the screen like this is a gift to foster and adoptive families. But it’s not just a gift to those of us who are living it. It’s a gift to everyone else, too.
“Are You OK With This?”: Saying Good-bye to My Son
When his worker called to tell me that his family had been ruled out, she asked if I would be willing to adopt him. “Well, I love him...and I would love to be his mom forever...but I don’t think I’m supposed to be...and I think I know who is.”
My Foster Children Are Better Off With Me
You see, at least in every case I’ve experienced, I have a stronger “parental resume” than my foster children’s parents.
Write Your Heart Out: "The Lasts" By Melissa
And so the past few days were filled with “lasts”...
Tips For Supporting Reunification
A few months ago, I was contacted by the American Bar Association's Center For Children and the Law. I was asked to participate in a survey of five foster families from around the county. The goal? Create a list of tips for foster families to promote and support reunification. Here's the result!
My Foster Child’s Family Is My Enemy
And sometimes it’s hard. Like the family who slanders me on social media, who calls in an investigation on me, who continually puts the child at risk, who acts like court is a game to be won. Sometimes it’s very, very hard.
I call it like it is: You are my enemy.
This Time Last Year - The Littles Who Came & Went #instagramseries
When these kids leave our homes, they don’t leave our hearts. That while we may not be able to care for them or even walk up and say hello, we can always pray for them. I can love this little girl--and all the others who quickly came and went-- in that way forever.
“What to Expect” When You're...Picking Up a Foster Baby From the Hospital
Here's my "how to", a list of all the things I’ve learned while picking up foster babies from the hospital. Things I wish I would’ve known, things I did right, and (more often) things I did wrong.
I Need Answers. How Do You Do This Foster Care Thing?
Foster mom, how do you balance the impossible tension of loving a child like they’re your own, when they’re not? I thought about it. How do you do it? And then I realized: The love is in your heart. The what ifs and questions and worries are in your mind.
Considering Foster Care or Adoption? Read These Words From a Former Foster Child #writeourheartout - Sabrina
You are giving a child the chance to live a better life. A chance that they deserve. You are giving them the love and care that they so desperately need. You are making a lifelong, lasting difference in the life of another human being.
Being a Foster Child Taught Me Love #writeyourheartout - Sabrina's Story
I never understood why “foster care” and “adoption” had this eerie and peculiar reputation behind them, when those two things are responsible for the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.
You Don't Always Reap What You Sow
As a foster mom, you may not get the fruit of prayers answered and hopes realized. You may not get proms, graduations, weddings, and grandchildren. Let’s be real. You may not even get the fruit of bedtime routines achieved, table manners acquired, multiplication tables learned, or secrets whispered. But what you will get, what we foster parents are working for, is the joy of being faithful right now. Today, I have today. And I will faithfully train and parent and love this child today and for as many more “todays” as I get.
She Doesn't Know What Mommy Means
To this little girl, “mommy” meant the female adult of the house, the lady who reached something you couldn't and refilled your juice. Having five “mommies” in five months, she hadn’t had the chance yet to learn what mommy meant.