Be a Foster mom

I am fostering 3 boys whom I plan to adopt if TPR goes through

I am fostering 3 boys whom I plan on adopting if the TPR goes through

IF ANYONE KNOWS OUT THERE HOW TO GET THE PROCESS STARTED TO BEING A FOSTER MOM PLEASE LET ME KNOW

I love kids and I “get” them. I couldn’t take on a permanent kid, but I think I could take one in for a bit.
Back when I was big with child, living in Fort Worth and struggling, struggling, I did this in a small, tiny way.
The kids across the street were outside, just sitting. Finally as it started to get dark I went over and asked if they were hungry. There parents hadn’t come home. They were hungry.
We left a note on their door and came over to my house and made spaghetti. It turned out their parents had been arrested for writing hot checks and everyone had forgotten them. They didn’t have a key, or a phone, they were alone.
We had a nice night. A relative came over around 11 p.m. and collected them.
The next morning, I found a picture on my doorstep that the older boy made for me. A picture of a fat, happy baby and a note, “Thank you for dinner!, You’re gonna be a great mom and your baby is gonna be very cool.”
Since then, I’ve thought fostering might be a fine thing to do.

Had the home-study (and classes, and tests and finger-prints, etc. Whew!) just waiting on final approval. Now what do I do?? There are so many things- find a pediatrician, install outlet covers, meet the elemetary school principle- get a car seat! I wish someone made a REALLY good list on things you need to be an “instant Mommy”! Thank God for friends! This will be an awesome experience- for us all! Wish us the best!

at times excruciatingly difficult…but aren’t most things that are worth it?

- she was my girl’s best freiend and a neighbor placed into foster care because her grandmother beat her with a belt and left a deep scar in her face. had i known that she would be placed in another home, I’d taken her in and found a way somehow for she spent every day at my home and was like a sister to my daughter and like a child to me… we miss her.

In my community, it is possible to be a weekend-only foster parent. It’s called “respite” or “relief”. The idea is that a regular foster parent, or a family who is trying to avoid a foster placement, needs a break once in a while. So once a month the foster child, or child who hasn’t been placed in a foster home but is having difficulty at home, comes to stay at your house for the weekend. You just do the regular things that you would be doing that weekend anyway. Everyone wins!

It was a great option for me when I had small children at home. I was a full-time foster parent for a while but I found I needed to give the majority of my energy to my own children during the week, at least until they became school-aged. But I could spare a couple of weekends a month to help other families. Mostly I had young teens, 11-15 year olds, and they really loved playing with my kids as well.

Our agency reimburses for expenses, so it costs you nothing but your time and caring!