22
allpills shop cialis generic go here critical thinking skill creative writing phd programs canada how to find old email on iphone 6 essay issues importance health reform what abour viagra interesting dissertation questions lamictal paranoia life case study meaning cymbalta and bipolar how many viagra pills should i take https://ergonetwork.org/publications/beginning-intermediate-algebra-4th-edition-paperback/91/ https://earthwiseradio.org/editing/argumentative-essay-on-media-censorship/8/ my relationship with writing essay https://energy-analytics-institute.org/freefeatures/caring-for-a-sick-person-at-home-essay-contest/56/ https://hhkidsdentist.com/advising/cialis-verfallsdatum-abgelaufen/81/ https://erasmus.uctm.edu/fastshipping/does-propecia-work-for-acne/88/ viagra on line vipps hopes in life essay ignou solved assignments mcom essay writing on diwali vacation nexium for acid reflux cost of generic for crestor ielts essays banded https://dsaj.org/buyingmg/come-si-prende-un-viagra/200/ follow url essay about my hobby music https://www.arvadachamber.org/verified/essays-about-environmental-problems/49/ british forces post office history essay JUL 2015Posted by Rent-A-Dad | Fostering Love
I recently wrote about sitting on a panel for a foster parenting class where my wife and I were the only two resource parents in a group otherwise made up of DCS employees. I was nervous at first because with less than three full years of experience I felt like there was very little that I could contribute, but it turned out that there were a lot of things we’ve been through in that fairly short time that a lot of people in the class were interested in and found useful. Some of those things were:
- As you’re going through the home study process, you may find yourself asked intensely personal questions by someone who is essentially a complete stranger. Every home study is different so I may be the only person to ever get questions as probing as the ones I remember, but if you can imagine a random person walking up to you on the street and asking about things you’ve never even discussed with your spouse, you’re ready for anything the home study might throw at you.
- At least in Tennessee, there are parts of the home study that repeat every two years to “recertify” the home. The financial spreadsheet and proof of income, home safety checklist, and other exciting adventures can be enjoyed again and again.
- DCS will always share any pertinent details when they call foster parents to make a placement as long as the information is actually available. At times the birth families will be very forthcoming and the department will know as much as they do, in other cases even the child’s exact age is a mystery when they first enter care.
- From everything that you hear in the news, in your classes, and from friends who are foster parents, it’s possible to form preconceived notions of the birth families of any child who comes into care. I was surprised to discover that negative stereotypes of foster parents abound in the wild and that it can take some effort to overcome. As much as those stereotypes can make it hard to see the humanity on either side of the equation, focusing on the shared humanity can help get past the stereotypes. It may not guarantee a perfect relationship, but with effort it’s possible to prevent the situation from becoming any more unpleasant than it already is.
- It is sometimes possible to have a placement for several months and be told that there are no allergies only to find that the physicians at the health center have been instructing us to give the kids things to which they are extremely allergic. That can be found in their charts. That you’ll only discover when you take them to their actual pediatrician for the first time.
- It is impossible to prepare for how much you’ll miss the kids when they leave your home. Knowing and anticipating the hole it’s going to leave isn’t likely to help in the way that one might hope. We’ve only been through it once, but several friends who are foster parents have said similar things.
- It is, in fact, impossible to really prepare for a placement full stop. If you’re like me and have never had children in your life on a daily basis before, a friend who is the biological mother of three said it best, and I’ll probably misquote her here: “People keep asking whether it’s tougher to go from one child to two or from two to three. I’ve always thought that going from zero to one was the toughest, because so many things about your life change so quickly”. Adding the unique family situation and DCS into the mix does not make this easier.
- Even on my most stressful day when I’m tired and grumpy and not entirely certain I can change one more diaper without completely losing my mind, this is one of the best things I’ve ever done and I’d sign up again in an instant.
2 thoughts on “Thoughts from a PATH Panel”
Comments are closed.