Foster Care & Adoption

The biggest shock to my system as a new foster mom was the complete upheaval to everything my family and I knew as “routine.” I had my morning workouts, my pre-work rituals of getting ready and making coffee, and helping get my kids out the door before I leave for work. Then, we came home to our …

Foster parents have one of the most important jobs – helping and supporting youth who are in temporary need of adults to care for them. What is more impactful than being part of a child or teen’s life, helping them develop into successful adults? PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, …

The word ‘family’ is commonly interpreted as a group of individuals bound through marriage, blood, or adoption consisting of two parents and one or more children. The question at hand is what makes a household a family? Is it the fact that they are related, live in the same home, or is it because of …

How a Good Foster Home Creates Long-Lasting Effects I am not a foster parent. I am an adoptive parent and an adoption professional. I am licensed for foster care only for the purposes of adoption. The children that entered my home had already been in foster placements and came to us as a new …

When I brought the idea of doing foster care to my husband, he raised an eyebrow. He wondered why we would ever want to ‘upset’ the quiet, free lifestyle we had. As a couple in our upper thirties, we have grown quite accustomed to the ability to do what we wanted when we wanted. I see struggling …

Why Is Foster Care So Important? When I was 17, I told my mom I didn’t understand why she did foster care, why she kept allowing kids in our home who seemingly took advantage of us. She took a deep breath and graciously replied to my worn-out complaint, “This life isn’t just about ourselves, …

In Minnesota, over 15,000 children and young adults experienced foster care last year, and more than 6,000 entered out-of-home placement. Many children enter foster care or a group residential facility when their family home is no longer safe. Often, this occurs due to parental drug abuse or …

An Interview with a Foster and Adoptive Mother Fostering or adopting a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences as you help a child rewrite the story of their future. Rewriting their story means challenging ourselves to see the child first and not letting their behaviors, labels, or …

“How long have you been my mom?” This is the question my daughter asked me the other day. To most, this would seem like a silly question from a small child. But, she’s not a small child – she’s nine-years-old and beyond the age of asking this question. That is, if our circumstances were “normal.” …

With celebrations, graduation parties, and preparing for college in the fall, many young adults completing high school are itching with anticipation to leave “the nest.” These young adults may feel a newly found freedom and take for granted their intricately woven support system that helps them …