Meet the Neighbors Family!
On our first date, I asked my husband David if he wanted to be a Foster Parent. If he had said “no,” there would not have been a second date!
When we had been dating for about three months, his ex-girlfriend’s mother asked us to take her 8-year-old great granddaughter Brittany, as Brittany’s grandmother (with whom she lived) was going into a shelter. We said yes. Shortly after she arrived we discovered that Britany had endured much abuse. We tried in vain to get help for her. After several months of “back and forth” between our home and her grandmother’s care, Brittany’s attorney discovered the abuse and had her returned to us by “emergency court order.”
We were granted Guardianship in November. That December, Brittany told the shopping center Santa Clause that she wanted her “granny and grandpa” to adopt her for Christmas. When Ms Clause chased me down to tell me of this request, I explained that I was the granny.
We adopted Brittany on 3/7/2017. It took her about two months to understand that her David and I were now her legal mom and dad, and that no one could take her away from us again.
By this time, her baby sister Angel had been born (in October, 2017) and put into foster care with us as a kinship placement. Angel was 15 months old and we took guardianship. It took until January, 2019, for Angel’s parents to have their rights terminated and for us to adopt her.
After we took in Angel, we decided to get our full foster license. When my husband died suddenly on March 11,2020, we had had Kaylea and Jaydon for almost two years. Their case worker let them stay with me. The TPR has been done and now we are waiting for the appeal time frame to end. I will be adopting both of them.
Kaylea and Jaydon plan to change their names. Jaydon has asked to be named after my husband as a Jr. He was very much a daddy’s boy, so this did not surprise anyone
All of my family and friends are wonderful. Due to their support I have never had to use respite care. My children are not easy kids as they all have special needs, either medical, mental, or educationally. I will have to advocate for them at every step.
Our system is very broken. We had asked twice for them to help Brittany with all of the abuse that she had gone through and instead of helping she was returned to the abuse.
Studies show it takes two years for every year of abuse to trust an adult again
When my husband passed away, the system could have moved Kaylea and Jaydon from my home, even if they had lived with me for almost two years.
People say that the children I take in are lucky. But I am the lucky one. I get all of the hugs, kisses, and “I love you”s. I could not see my life with my children.
I will keep being a foster parent as long as I can and my children agree. I hope to adopt one or two more.
