#placement calls

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Changing the What-If's for Emergency Foster Care Placements

Look How One County is Changing the What-If's for Children Placed into Foster Care on an Emergency Basis! #fostercare

Many times, children may immediately be removed from their parents if the situation is dangerous. What this means for a foster parent is that calls can happen at anytime of day or night.

One summer night, our phone rang at 11pm. As I groggily answered the call, a caseworker told me that she had a sibling group of 3 that needed a place to stay – a preschooler, a toddler, and an infant.

“Can you…

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Siblings Adopting Siblings - True Stories

What happens if a family can't adopt siblings? Read how a sister stepped up to keep siblings in the family. #adoption

What happens when a family can’t be adopting siblings? Saying no is a guilt-ridden decision that can affect children long-term. Keeping the biological bond through adopting siblings can help children navigate their adoptee identity together. This biological connection can help minimize adoptee grief as the children get older.

The Smiths faced that decision. After nearly two years of being foster…

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I Judged Birthfamily Until I Became One

I Judged Birthfamily, Then Became One! #EndMommyWars {sponsored}

Judgment! If we are honest, we’ve all done it! And especially, as a foster parent, and hearing the stories of the children in my care, I’ve judged the birthfamily.  How could a parent choose a party, a boyfriend, or drugs over caring for a baby?

Then one day, I received a call for a placement; however, this call wasn’t about one of THOSE families – it was a call about a child from my own family.

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Questions and Answers About Fostering

Questions and Answers About Fostering

If you are following me on Instagram, then you’ll know that every Friday, I ask questions about fostering now with the hashtag #FosterCareQuestions.  I’ve really enjoyed reading about all the different experiences of foster parents from all over.

I’ve found a very strong community of other foster and adoptive parents on Instagram. Are you on Instagram?

Some of my favorite fostering Instagrammers…

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[ourfosterlove]

Hahahaha

Just got a call for a 3 year old girl. There's no way I could do a special needs baby and two 3 year olds. Not to mention we're going on vacation soon and that wouldn't be fair to the little girl. I didn't know we were even still on the list. Still, I feel awful saying no.

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Celebrating Amazing Foster Dad of FIVE Little Ones

How do you honor the Foster Dad of 5 little kids? Check out #NauticaForDad @Macys #ad

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NauticaforDad #CollectiveBias

We became foster parents in 2008 and have fostered 16 kids during that time.  As parents of neglected and traumatized kids, our journey has not been easy one. In fact, we’ve had to learn our limits as parents, especially with the placements in the summer of 2012.

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Think You're Too Old to be a Parent?

Think You're Too Old to be a Parent? You must read about Kenneth's mid-life #adoption!

Read Kenneth’s story on adoption as an older parent!

I sat at the kitchen table drinking a glass of ice-cold water. It was late June, in the middle of a Texas drought. The temperature outside hovered around 110 degrees. My cell phone rang. With sweat dripping down my nose I glanced at the caller ID.

Kenneth at 51 and his son about 18 months. (just a few days after parental rights were terminated)

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Are You Really Ready for Baby? 10 Must-Have Baby Items

Are You Really Ready for Baby? 10 Must-Have Baby Items #sisterhoodunite #parentsfirst #ad

Becoming a mom for the first time is quite overwhelming in of itself. However, as a foster parent, I became a mother of a baby for the very first time with hardly any notice at all.  Overwhelmed is an understatement of what I was going through – I was completely utterly frazzled for over a month!

For a few weeks, I had to take a trip to the store – every – single – day – to pick up some sort of…

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