I am so excited to announce the addition of a new "Foster Parent Resources" page to my site! Since we became foster parents, I learned that so many other people I know have also considered becoming foster parents or adopting through foster care. So I've compiled all of my recommended reading, watching, and listening into one… Continue reading New Site Page: Foster Parent Resources!
Category: Licensing
The Big Announcement
As we neared the end of the licensing process, we still hadn't told anyone we were considering becoming foster parents (other than a few close friends and family members who served as our references during our home study). In fact, my sister in law did not find out we were becoming foster parents until she… Continue reading The Big Announcement
Foster Parent Licensing Step Six: This is a Test
There is nothing more infuriating to me than when someone tells me that I'm not capable of doing something. I recognize this is a personal problem and I'm working on it. But even when I know in my heart that I am capable, I become enraged when someone tells me that I am not. It's… Continue reading Foster Parent Licensing Step Six: This is a Test
Foster Parent Licensing Parts Four and Five: Don’t Die on Me
Foster Parenting Step Four: CPR and First Aid Certifications So in order to be good foster parent, you have to keep the kid physically alive. An absurd amount of the foster care licensing process is dedicated to how to not kill or seriously maim the child; how not to have your house burn down; and how… Continue reading Foster Parent Licensing Parts Four and Five: Don’t Die on Me
Foster Parent Licensing Step Three (Part Two): Hell No?
When we decided to take the plunge into the foster parent licensing process, we did so with one important ground rule: if, at any point in the process, one of us said, "Hell No. I can't do this," we would stop. No judgment, no questions asked. Frankly, the "Hell No Rule" works well in many… Continue reading Foster Parent Licensing Step Three (Part Two): Hell No?
Foster Parent Licensing Step Three: How do you do this, exactly?
Foster Care Licensing Step Three: Foster Parent University School. Can you hear us breathing a sigh of relief? Between the two of us, we have clocked more than twenty years of higher education so this was an area in which we felt right at home. Six hour PS-Mapp Class for six Saturdays? No problem. Reasonable… Continue reading Foster Parent Licensing Step Three: How do you do this, exactly?
Licensing Step Two: Are you for real?
Foster Care Licensing Step Two: The Intake Interview After the Information Session, I figured we'd have to wait a long time to hear back from the agency, but they called only days later to set up an interview. I didn't call back right away. We were leaving on a much needed vacation for some beach… Continue reading Licensing Step Two: Are you for real?
Foster Parent Licensing Step One: The Information Session
"Do you have what it takes?" This is, essentially, the main question that the licensing process will try to answer. That and, "Is your home a fire hazard?" The second question can be resolved by simply making sure you have a fire extinguisher and a smoke detector in literally every room in your house. (I'm… Continue reading Foster Parent Licensing Step One: The Information Session
So we’re crazy, right?
I'm kicking it off with a little #tbt to talk about why we decided to become foster parents. Because, I get it, it's maybe a little crazy. Becoming a foster parent was something that was always in the back of my mind. I don't know why. I didn't know any foster parents or foster children.… Continue reading So we’re crazy, right?