Step 4 (The Journey of a New Foster-to-Adopt Midlife Mom)

I attended a class on “how to become a foster and or adoptive parent” this past weekend.  The class consisted of me and five couples.  Three of the couples said were unable to have children and are considering adoption; two have grown children and want to foster or adopt.  As the only single person there, I felt like a freak.  But by the end of the first Friday night session, that feeling had subsided. We were all there for one thing only: to have a family. […]

One Hero in a Community of Mothers

by Andrea Lynn

In my life, there are many mothers I respect and admire. Friends, family, colleagues, even strangers. Mothers I see in the world doing the right thing with children, showing small kindnesses, endless patience, needed discipline. Moms who have faced huge obstacles, small tragedies, who started their journeys late or in roundabout ways. But heroic mothers? I only know one, and I don’t know her well. She is a midlife mother, in her 50s, and attends the same church as I do. I know her because our congregation has adopted her cause as ours — emergency foster care of the youngest children in our city. […]

Step 2 (Journey of a New Foster-to-Adopt Midlife Mom)

I swear it took a full ten days,  if not more, for the social service agency to call me. I was starting to think they would not call, but they did, or rather, she did. The foster-parent recruiter or something like that left me a message. I waited one full day (gulp) before I called her back. It was Friday. I was calling her cell phone number, but she was not working. She was, however, in the shower. This was not going well, I fretted.

[…]

Baby Steps: The Journey of a (Brand-New) Foster-to-Adopt Mom

Dear Reader, this is the first in a series by a 54-year-old single, childless woman who is in the beginning stages of pursuing foster-to-adopt.  She is excited. She is scared. She is also a midlife woman. We will follow her journey to the end! To that aim, she will remain anonymous until it unfolds. We will then reveal her name, her child’s name and any other details necessary to complete her story.

I made the call today. I have been thinking about it for five years.

I have thought about becoming a foster parent ever since I moved to my state. But there were always reasons to wait. My dad was sick, I was in school, and most importantly, I did not have a partner – a man – in my life. I always wanted to create a family, in the traditional sense. Five years later, still no man. I am now 54. My dad has passed away, my mom recently passed as well. My brother’s family had also been my extended family and greatest supporter. Now he is divorced; my nephew has moved away to college; my youngest niece is living in another state with her mother. […]

My Debunking of Myths Regarding Teens in Foster Care

by Joanie Siegel

Myth: Children do not want parents who are culturally or racially different.
Fact: A child/teen wants a parent, a person they can lean on and who will be there, no matter what. As long as their race and ethnicity is respected and honored, most children don’t care who their parents are. […]

Go to Top