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.
I Hate Foster Care.
This list, it’s not hypothetical. Every single one of these heart-wrenching, anxiety-inducing, almost-makes-you-hate-foster-care things has happened to me. This week.
Packing Up & Saying Good-Bye: The Chores & Emotions of the Final Day of Placement
Many of you shared how helpful it was to have a window into the first day of placement, so I decided to invite you along for the last day as well. Now for all of the projects and chores and emotions of a last day...
The One That Could've Been: Remembering How Heartbreaking Foster Care Is
She was the one who needed an adoptive family. The one we said yes to. The one they moved from our home...last night, when I read her name on my phone, my stomach turned. The words of the worker and the other foster moms I spoke to weaved together to create a tragic image.
10 Mother's Day Gift Ideas For Your Foster/Adopted Child's Biological Mother
It's just a kind and loving way for you to acknowledge: You are this child's biological mother, and I will honor you on Mother's Day.
National Foster Care Month - Video for the US Children's Bureau
I'm so honored to be a part of the US Children's Bureau's campaign for National Foster Care Month. And I'm so grateful to, once again, remember my daughter's story.
Attachment, Trauma, & Development: What Every Foster & Adoptive Parent Should Know
Well assuming that you don’t have an MRI in your home, you won’t see the effect on their brains, but you will experience the effect on their behavior...
"I would get too attached," "Do you get to keep this one?" and "Are they all yours?": 40 Answers to the Invasive (But Typically-Well-Meaning) Questions Every Foster Parent Hears
Foster parents get lots of questions: inquisitive, curious, intrusive, and inappropriate....but all typically well-meaning. It's hard for people to understand this journey we're on. It's hard for them to understand why our families look so different. And so they ask. And for all the times you don't know how to answer, the readers of Foster the Family compiled their favorite answers to their most frequently received questions. From funny to irreverent to informative to heart-warming. You'll never search for an answer again.
Today I Say Good-Bye To My Daughter Forever: What Only A Foster Mother Knows
Today I say good-bye to my foster daughter, forever. I relinquish my role as her foster mother. I happily and sadly pass her back to her biological mother, her mother forever.
And I forever remember those months when I was her mother.
Orphans No More Radio Interview
I was honored to be a guest on Justice for Orphans' radio show "Orphans No More." Listen in as we talk about what compelled our family to get involved in foster care, some of the kids who have been in and out of our home, and the mission of "speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves."
Siblings’ Plea to Be Adopted Together Has Gone Viral and They Live In YOUR Town
Our hearts are tugged when we read real stories and see real pictures of real children in need. But, friends, whether their faces are spread across the internet or not, they exist. They may be faceless and voiceless and easily ignored, but they are very real.
Write Your Heart Out - Guest Post: Staci's Story
Then she said something that still brings tears to my eyes. She thanked us for saying yes and said that we were their last hope for keeping them together.
I Come From the Right Side of the Tracks, So It's Not My Problem
For all of the stark differences of these towns, there is one reality that binds them together. Both towns need these child protection offices. Both towns have broken families, struggling parents, hurting children.
When I Missed Out On Being a Part of Something Big
It will teach you and your children about the power of every person’s seemingly insignificant, independently insufficient efforts. And it will envision you for doing your part in this too-huge-task of finding a home for every child.