Kid Hero Foster Care and Adoption Blog
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A foster care and adoptive parent blog from Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
Kid Hero Foster Care and Adoption Blog
5y ago
Do you ever get stuck in a really bad mood?
Let’s call this bad mood “Wanda,” just for kicks and giggles. Wanda is very intelligent. She doesn’t bother me at work, but the second I pick my kids up from daycare/school I can feel her pop up like a puff pastry.
I know my kids will yell and scream and throw tantrums, and I know this is a reflection of their ages and trauma-related pasts. I know I have chosen to walk this road (because my sister won’t let me forget it), but I also know I should have a place that is safe for me to vent about Wanda without worrying that I will have to defend myself ..read more
Kid Hero Foster Care and Adoption Blog
5y ago
It was totally unexpected. In a sudden moment, everything in life changed. Places of comfort were immediately closed off. Being with loved ones who provide support and affection was no longer possible, and won’t be for an indefinite period of time. And any connection between this new, isolated world and the old one will now be facilitated by an imperfect system of experts doing their best to navigate uncharted waters, changing rules and the constant anxiety that comes from the unknown.
No, this is not a blog post about COVID-19. It’s about foster care and what happens to hundreds of children ..read more
Kid Hero Foster Care and Adoption Blog
5y ago
I do not like to ask for help. I am not good at it, and avoid it at all costs. But for five years of my life, I had to put aside all those emotions and just accept that I needed help. For that season, I could not do life on my own.
Anyone else share my struggle?
It’s not that I am too proud to ask for help, and I’m certainly not the fiercely independent, do-it-myself type. My weakness is that I HATE inconveniencing people. I mean, to an extreme extent. I feel that if I ask for anything from anyone, I am putting them in a terrible position and adding huge burdens to their life. If I do ask for ..read more
Kid Hero Foster Care and Adoption Blog
5y ago
“Mommy, will they stay forever, or just a little while?”
My husband and I both grew up in large families where adoption helped grow our family trees, so we decided very early on in our marriage that we would adopt at some point. We didn’t know when or how we would start this adventure, but we both knew it would happen.
When we began our fostering journey, I thought I had all the answers. After all, I was the parent of a 2-year-old and a social worker in the child welfare field with a solid three years under my belt. In my professional life, I had sat with a crying toddler and his 6-year-old s ..read more
Kid Hero Foster Care and Adoption Blog
5y ago
“It’s in the eyes, I can tell you will always be danger.”
I heard these lyrics from a song by the popular band Mumford and Sons while driving to work one day. I do most of my deepest thinking while driving alone and these words prompted me to ponder some things about the little people we have fostered over the years.
I have distinct memories of the children’s eyes. They have spoken to me in different ways, reflecting innocence, happiness, hope, excitement, emptiness, sadness, confusion, fear, anger and rage. In my experience, the younger the child, the happier and less confused the eyes. Th ..read more
Kid Hero Foster Care and Adoption Blog
5y ago
One day over coffee, I told my friends that I had just filled out an application to become a treatment foster parent. They looked at me with blank stares and replied, “That’s awesome, but you don’t have a medical background, and you haven’t taken care of someone with medical needs before.”
I gleefully responded, “That’s true! But I am going to learn!”
This passionate attitude has possessed me since the first day I learned how many kids need treatment foster parents in Wisconsin. I knew that I could be a part of the solution to the ever growing need. I will be completely hones ..read more