In late spring 2017, we started going through the process of getting our fostering license. We went through the county for fostering. The county did a background check on both of us. A home inspection was done. We went to fostering classes, and by December 2017, we had our fostering license.
We agreed to do emergency placements and long-term placements. An emergency placement is when the police and Child Protection Services (CPS) are called in due to the child being in immediate danger. The child is taken from the environment it’s in. Then, couples like us are called to see if we are willing and able to take the child in. Quite often, the children come to our home with nothing. No clothes or toys. Nothing. Sometimes CPS doesn’t even know the name/names of the child/children. Some kids came in diapers and nothing more. We aimed to make the kids as comfortable in their new environment. To show them love and give them the security they needed.
Needless to say, when a 3-year-old suddenly comes to live with you, you’re a stranger to them. They are understandably very confused. I can’t imagine the fear and uncertainty a child would feel when that happens. Most, but not all, kids had lots of questions about what was going on with mom. The challenge in answering those questions in a way that a 3-year-old, or child of any age, can understand cannot be stressed enough. We did our best to answer the questions to preserve the dignity of the parents and put the kids at ease. More importantly, making the child feel safe and comfortable in our house.
Luckily, my wife and I had three dogs and two cats. All of them were a giant pain in the ass. However, they are invaluable with kids. Luckily, our animals were very patient and tolerant of kids. Especially our female black lab Pepper. She was huge in helping children feel welcome and comfortable in our home. Many of the children we fostered came from homes that didn’t have pets. Having dogs and cats was the first time kids were introduced to pets.
