Learning...

Being a parent is hard... I think any parent would admit that. Not having any biological children we don't have anything to compare being foster parents to, but it's different. Not only do you have to parent, but there is another list of expectations that you have to live up to... you're held to a higher standard by the state of MI to parent these broken little people.

Facts about foster parenting:

* Most likely, there won't be an instant attachment/love for the child... it feels like you're a long term babysitter until that relationship forms... and that's normal.

* Managing your own emotions is hard... you have to give everything to this child so that they develop healthy relationships, but at the risk that you yourself will hurt if/when they return to biological parents.

* That they will cry and scream for long periods of time because they don't know how else to express their confusion at what has happened in their life... and you just have to be there to let them go thru it.

* You worry every time the child gets a cut, scrape or bruise that someone will accuse you of abusing the child. You have to document everything.

* You are expected to treat the child as your own, yet you have to ask permission from the case worker for many things.

* There is an undeniable bond between the child and their birth parents... no matter what happened. You have to accept that fact. But, they will love you too.

* You have one of the most amazing opportunities in the world... to positively change the life of a child forever.

* Your life will be forever changed because of them.

Foster parenting is hard, probably harder than we expected. However, I'm often reminded that this is our road. We don't get to go down the typical, easy path to having children... and that's okay. We trust that God has hand picked children for our family, just in a different way than most. We have come to wholly accept the amazing plan God has for us because we know that His way is far better than what we can imagine for ourselves.