Today we start our first of 8 foster parent classes. They are 4 hours each, twice a week for the entire month and include all of these topics:
- Orientation and team building
- Medical, licensing and policy
- Abuse and neglect, sex abuse
- Impacts of abuse on development
- Attachment, separation, grief and loss
- Discipline, effects of care giving
- Adoption issues
- Cultural issues, primary families
During the month we'll also need to have a Livescan fingerprinting and background check, both have physicals to confirm we're medically able to care for a child, have 4 references checked, and prepare our home so that it meets first aid, safety, and other requirements.
That's going to be plenty to keep us busy this month!
This past weekend, we had a moment of doubt as we thought of everything coming up this month related to foster care--and felt stressed about having such a busy schedule. We wanted to make certain we would be able to handle this increased responsibility long term without feeling overwhelming stress or resentment towards the child.
We called close friends and family and asked them what they thought about our ability to take this on and all of them felt that we would make great foster parents to a child in need. And the thought of not doing this when we so strongly felt it WAS the right thing to do conquered all doubt. As soon as we reconfirmed our decision to move forward and fully commit, I picked up my copy of Fitness Magazine and read this quote from Serena Williams:
"It's in the picking ourselves up and dusting ourselves off and pushing ourselves forward that we find our will, our drive, our purpose." Somehow, the "pushing ourselves forward" giving us drive and purpose inspired me and made me felt we definitely were making the right decision.
Read the previous posts in this series:
Part I: Considering Foster Care
Part II: The Process of Becoming a Foster Parent