God Bless Foster Families

This weekend we took the kids for their Easter pictures. We were getting ready to leave the studio and I heard someone say, "Isn't that wonderful, they are getting their foster child's picture taken". Of course this peaked my interested immediately and I turned around to see this older couple with an infant.

When I say older...I mean early 70's...and sure enough the Foster Mom was holding an infant seat with a 6-week old baby boy.

I introduced myself and asked for which agency they fostered (Children's Division through the state). The Mom proudly told me that this was their 110th foster child!!! Isn't that amazing!! This wonderful couple has opened their home and hearts to 110 children in need of a safe place to live. She said most of the kids they care for are drug-exposed in the womb...as was this little guy.

I asked how they could take care of so many children of the years only to see them leave to return to their parents, or extended family or go to other placements? Well, thankfully they didn't always have to say goodbye, in fact they had adopted three of their own over the years!

She said a lot has changed since they started fostering. The best part is that children stay with them for shorter periods of time. Most of those kids return home or are adopted by other families. With the good has come some bad. They said more of the kids they foster are drug-exposed. Babies that are drug-exposed in the womb come with a variety of health issues, including difficulty sleeping and often cry for no reason at all as they bodies are litterally being weaned off the drugs.

Working for a children's social service agency, you hear the stories about these types of kids everyday. On most days, we have infants and other small children in our office that are being fostered by families supported by our programs and staff. But something really touched me about this couple...who could easily have hung up their foster hats long ago.

But here they were on a Sunday afternoon at the JC Penney's portrait studios making sure that little 6-week old Devon had a baby picture in his memory book.

God Bless this couple and the wonderful work they do each and every day.

April is Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Month....please keep these children and those like the foster family I met in your prayers. They are truly doing God's work!