A Foster Parent Perspective

Part I : Why I Became a Foster Parent

Before I begin telling everyone about my journey to become a foster parent let me give a little background. I am no stranger to the foster care system or DCYF. Growing up my family had temporary custody of my little cousin when she was 2 or 3 for about a year. Her mother was going through some hard times and my cousin was removed from the house and naturally DCYF looked for family members that were willing to take her in, before they looked for other foster home placements. Luckily for my little cousin she got to live with family members who she was familiar with and who had known her since she was a baby. We had her for a couple of years but as we all got older there was not enough room for all of us in the house and unfortunately, she went back into the foster care system. She went to a few foster homes as well as living in the group home. We stayed in touch visiting her when we could and taking her for weekend visits so she could get out of the group home from time to time. After being in the system for years she found a family that was willing to adopt her, a happy ending. Seeing her story first hand made me eventually want to become a foster parent and was a steppingstone in the process.

A few years later another aunt of mine who works for Connecticut DCF asked me if I would like to join them as a volunteer for their foster and adoption celebration day. It is a day to celebrate the amazing people and families who have adopted or are fostering children. Connecticut DCF rents out space at Lake Compounce for the families to gather for food and activities before going to enjoy the park. The first year I went I did face painting for the children, and it was an experience beyond what I can describe. Seeing all of the happy families that were created out of such trauma and struggle was really moving. I had families thanking me for being a part of the day and some even shared their stories with me it was a day of pure excitement and unity. I did this for two more years bringing my newly learned balloon animal making skills to the event. Each year I went was better than the one before it. There aren't words to describe how good it felt to be a part of such a great celebration of families and unity.

Fast forward a couple of years to when I became a teacher. As a teacher I had the joy of welcoming several children in my classroom who were a part of a foster or adoptive family. Seeing the joy that can come out of a hard time in a child's life was beyond moving. I got to hear more stories of struggle and of finding a forever home with a family who loved the children as if they were their own and would do anything for them. This was the final thing I needed to see. I knew that when the time was right, I was going to become a foster parent and give children the same love to children who needed it as the children whose stories I had heard.

I hope you all enjoyed the beginning of my journey to becoming a foster parent. I got a firsthand look into all the struggles my cousin and thousands of other children are going through every day in the United States. Being taken away from their family, friends, and life they know to go live with someone they don't know and who doesn't know them. I hope through my story that I will be sharing in upcoming blogs I can inspire others to step up and become a foster parent to children or teenagers who are in foster care that needs a loving home.

Stay tuned for Part II.