I did not know much about foster care until I was in high school. That is when my parents became foster parents. At first, I was not happy about it. I was nervous and did not like the idea of strangers living with us and changing our quiet, comfortable life.
Our first foster child was a nine-year-old boy. We cared about him so much, but it was not easy. The people in charge of his case did not support us. We were lied to, left to handle things on our own, and even had private family information shared with unsafe people. My younger brother and I were even put in situations where we did not feel safe.
After that, my parents stopped fostering. Our hearts ached because he was special to us. Seeing the system fail made me angry and sad. It led me to choose a job where I could support children and families. I hoped I could help make foster care better for children and their families.
I got my master’s degree in social work and worked as a caseworker in a private agency. I spent a few years learning how the foster care system worked in Ohio. Eventually, I moved to the licensing department. My goal was to help new families feel supported and show them that foster care does not have to be scary if you have the right help.
In 2018, I began working with families who wanted to foster. I helped them through the process and stayed in touch with them. One of my favorite moments was attending an adoption of four siblings by a family I had licensed. Another special time was hearing how a foster family stayed in touch with a child even after they were reunited with their birth parents. Times like that helped me to remember why I chose this job.
While helping others become foster parents, I realized my husband and I could do it too. We had the time, space, and love to give, everything i had been telling others they needed. We lived in Indiana, but the need for foster families is everywhere. My husband understood how much it meant to me, so we signed up for training and finished the home study process in about four months.
We had only been licensed for two weeks when we got a call about a four-day-old girl.
She had been exposed to drugs and needed a safe place. We said yes, though it was scary; it was also the start of the COVID lockdown. The stores were out of baby supplies, and no one could come help us. But we were committed to keeping her safe.
Soon after, we met her birth mom. I wanted to support her too. We used video calls and audio calls to stay informed. I saw how hard she worked to change her life. Over time, we became close. She asked us to be her daughter’s Godparents, which meant the world to us.
In July, the baby went home to her mom. We were sad to say goodbye, but so happy to see her family back together. Now, we are like extended family, and that little girl will always have a special place in our hearts.
