Yes (I had fears), if you don’t then you truly are naive. I wouldn’t say that I have overcome them... every child that comes into my home resets those fears... Will I be able to give them what they need? Will we/they be safe? Will they like me? What if I get attached? What if my daughter gets attached? And so on...

I am currently on placement 3 and 4... I’ve had one for 8 months and the other for 2 months. When I first meet any child I give them space... space to get semi comfortable and so I can sit back and watch how they react to things and try to learn them as individuals.

I always feel like family from the first time the child reaches out to me for help... whether it’s a personal issue, help with homework or want to talk about their home life.

When they reach out to me it makes me feel like they trust me.

Share a moment or day in the life of a foster or adoptive parent:

Well, this is tricky. There is no average moment or say in the life of a foster parent. Giving medication daily (our home it’s twice a day) Weekly we attend numerous appointments whether it’s medical or psychological. Then there are IEP or school meetings... twice a week we have home visits from the agency or DHHR... Monthly we have MDT meetings with everyone involved with the child... and all of that is per child. Not too mention the forms for each appointment, for every medication daily and any travel logs.. All this while required to maintain a full time job. And still not satisfying someone in the case. In our home I have to also play referee between the 3 teenagers, teach activities of daily living, teach responsibility through chores (that never seem to get completed) and teaching personal hygiene.