Read Part II here
Read Part III here
"What's next?"
In Part III I mentioned this upcoming post & have been thinking about it ever since. I have thought about it a hundred times & decided it was time to write. :) "What's next?" is a great question & I wish we had all the answers. We obviously don't have all the answers, but we know God does! I will start by saying we've had 4 calls from DCFS to take children since N left our home- some we are licensed for (ages 5-10) & others we weren't. I'm not sure why they call if we aren't licensed for that age but I'm assuming it's because they are desperate- - as in the child is sitting in their office & they need a Foster Home pronto. {Doesn't that just make your heart hurt?}
Nathan & I talked this week & we're not sure we're ready for any child between the ages of 5-10 to enter our home with our current situation of having a 2 Year Old. We will not be changing our License anytime soon, but we are going to be screening the calls a little bit more. For example, with each call I have asked about the child's schooling & so far, each call has been for a child that attends Decatur Schools & at this point in the school year, cannot switch to Mt. Zion & that has been the main reason that we haven't said "Yes" to any of the previous 4 calls. {We know summer is almost here but these calls have been within the past 4-5 weeks. Also, if we have the child for an extended period of time, school will be an issue in the Fall.} We would prefer to have the experience of fostering a Girl between the ages of 5 & 10 if she were able to attend to Mt. Zion, just for a different type of fostering experience since we had a boy previously.
Nathan & I talked this week & we're not sure we're ready for any child between the ages of 5-10 to enter our home with our current situation of having a 2 Year Old. We will not be changing our License anytime soon, but we are going to be screening the calls a little bit more. For example, with each call I have asked about the child's schooling & so far, each call has been for a child that attends Decatur Schools & at this point in the school year, cannot switch to Mt. Zion & that has been the main reason that we haven't said "Yes" to any of the previous 4 calls. {We know summer is almost here but these calls have been within the past 4-5 weeks. Also, if we have the child for an extended period of time, school will be an issue in the Fall.} We would prefer to have the experience of fostering a Girl between the ages of 5 & 10 if she were able to attend to Mt. Zion, just for a different type of fostering experience since we had a boy previously.
Another Option:
Respite Care- this is a very temporary situation where we could increase the ages in our License from say 0-10 & take care of children who's current Foster family has an obligation & they need another home to temporarily care for their Foster children. For example, a planned vacation, hospital stay, or a funeral out of town, etc. Basically the Foster Parents have something going on that they need help with their Foster Children for a short period of time. I'm not sure what the length of this could be- I'd say anywhere from overnight up to a couple of weeks or so.
Another Option #2:
Respite Care- this is a very temporary situation where we could increase the ages in our License from say 0-10 & take care of children who's current Foster family has an obligation & they need another home to temporarily care for their Foster children. For example, a planned vacation, hospital stay, or a funeral out of town, etc. Basically the Foster Parents have something going on that they need help with their Foster Children for a short period of time. I'm not sure what the length of this could be- I'd say anywhere from overnight up to a couple of weeks or so.
Another Option #2:
A totally different thought & prayer we're pondering is changing our License in the future to provide care for a 0-1 year old once Reddington is a little older. Our timeline would possibly be next summer. With my work schedule & being off in the summer, I could provide care to this child throughout the day without having to worry about finding Day Care at the last minute. What many people don't realize is that "Foster Care" doesn't necessarily mean a school-age child. We have met a lot of people through our Foster Care classes that have received babies straight from the hospital & are providing care &/or adopting them. It is definitely an option! I think the pre-conceived idea is that an infant is almost impossible to provide care for &/or adopt & that is simply not the case at all.
I assume you may have thought this post would provide all sorts of answers to the question, "What's next?" & unfortunately, it's just my thoughts & ramblings. I must say that I am completely blessed to have a wonderful, supportive husband who has prayed for the desires of my heart through this entire process, & agreed with me about all of our decisions. That has been a wonderful part of all of this. You're probably thinking- possibly a baby?! What?! I know, I'm thinking the same thing & am shocked that God has started stirring this up in my heart for the future. We shall see - - - God only knows!
I assume you may have thought this post would provide all sorts of answers to the question, "What's next?" & unfortunately, it's just my thoughts & ramblings. I must say that I am completely blessed to have a wonderful, supportive husband who has prayed for the desires of my heart through this entire process, & agreed with me about all of our decisions. That has been a wonderful part of all of this. You're probably thinking- possibly a baby?! What?! I know, I'm thinking the same thing & am shocked that God has started stirring this up in my heart for the future. We shall see - - - God only knows!
"People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. Obsessed people believe that Jesus talked about money & the poor so often because it was really important to Him." -Crazy Love 'Overwhelmed by a relentless God' By: Francis Chan
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