My Foster Journey.. Chapter One: The Seed

I'm not really sure how the original seed to foster was planted. I was 24 years old and had just purchased a four bedroom house by myself. I called to get the information packet to become a foster parent. I was sort of in between relationships at the time and was ready to be a parent. I never followed through with that original call but did buy a few books and a subscription to Fostering Today and Adoptive Families magazines that year.

A year later I met my future wife. During that time I worked at a custom framing shop inside a large retail store. The president of our local foster care organization happened to come in with her two (cute and well behaved) foster children. I asked her lots of questions about fostering and she wrote her name and number on the back of one of our business cards. That was "the seed" that planted the idea. I kept that card and about a year later we called & began the process together to become foster parents.

I try to plant that seed now in others. For me- a part of being an advocate for children in foster care is often advocating for others to open their hearts and homes to foster kids/waiting children. In the aisle of the grocery store, at the park, in the check out of Home Depot...whenever people are curious about our family. Recently three (well couples...so six) friends have decided to become foster parents after we planted the seed with them. The first set have their first placement, a sweet chubby newborn that allows me to get my baby fix but still sleep through the night. The second set start classes next week. The third have their first homestudy visit this week.