Foster Care & Adoption

Our readers had a lot on their minds last year, from supporting loved ones to staying positive through the ongoing pandemic. Many of our blogs focused on self-care and gratitude, a topic that is as relevant as ever for parents and caregivers and our world’s increasingly burnt-out workforce.

To many, adolescent and teen boys are a mystery. They are trying to find their place in the pecking order of the world. They are defining manhood, “trying out” the different types of men they’ve seen in society, and how they want to be defined. So how do you communicate with adolescent boys? Take them for a drive.

Foster and adoptive care is the epitome of living and loving up close. It’s feet to the ground, money-where-our-mouths-are, real investment type of work. There is nothing more real than welcoming a child, teen, or young adult into your home and walking a healing journey with them.

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 the connections they have to each other? My definition of family is someone who you can go to for support, ask for guidance, depend on, and have unconditional love for you.  

My birth mother gave me up for adoption when I was a newborn. I am now 24 years old and connected with my birth mother and her family two years ago. At first, it was great to meet the extended family and learn more about my birth story. However, I am getting more and more uncomfortable with our interactions. My birth mother seems to be very moody and wants more contact than I am prepared to give. She can lash out emotionally quite easily and I have learned that she has a lot of mental health issues. I don’t enjoy this relationship and don’t have that strong of a connection to her. How do I back away without hurting her feelings?

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 family member. Each mom and each dad, all the siblings and even the pets, have made an impact on my child and I am forever grateful to foster parents and the work they do!

The journey to foster parenting is so special and worth it. I see struggling families daily through my work at a nonprofit agency. I see the generational cycle of poverty and trauma. I see how this affects children and often ask why we can’t do something about this.

Our call to adoption started with when my mother fostered children while I was growing up. I never understand why she did it until 10 years later after I attended a foster parent training. It is not always easy, but we can no longer imagine our world any other way.

In Minnesota there are 733 children waiting for families. Foster families play a critical role as many children in foster care have experienced trauma during their critical developmental years.

Fostering or adopting a child can be one of the most rewarding experiences as you help a child rewrite the story of their future. We sat down with Melissa Moore, a foster and adoptive parent for Nexus-Kindred Family Healing, to ask her what rewriting the story means to her and her family.