Foster Care - Could You?

I have spent a good part of the day thinking about this! Chey, when I started Fostering Dogs....I had the same dilemna. Tore my heart out! Even quit for a while, and the one day it hit me (please don't be hurt by this) it's all about me! I wasn't thinking about them. I was all wrapped up in the hurt I would feel....and NOT the good that I could do. I now realize that if I can give these pets, some really good love, good food, and a warm place, plus the free-dom of the country ... it may be the most special time of the lives! You might be giving that little person the break they need in life, and you, my dear, will have the richness of heart & memories. And just remember, all people can't do this successfully, some it is too painful for them. Smiles.

My cousin fosters 2 babies right now and a toddler (at least he did at Christmas of last year). It was strange seeing him with 5 kids lol. Don't you have to be a foster parent before they even consider you able to actually adopt kids? I'd like to help kids and adopt them so they can have a nice home. I'm not sure I'd be able to have biological kids of my own unless I found a donor mother or something. Do sp*rm banks have those? I'd like to adopt AND have my own kids.

My husband and I have talked about it, and we'd love to do it. But right now we aren't financially stable enough to bring anouther mouth into the house. Hopefully when we're ready, we wont be too old!

I am also feeling like if I have to bring a child at home, I would have to adopt that child. But there might be people who just want to care for a child until their parents or someone can provide for them. It is interesting to try but I don't know how it works!

My parents had foster children in the house when I was growing up, and we definitely did get attached to the kids who lived with us, sometimes who lived with us for quite a while. And, it was hard when they moved out to go back to their parents or to adoptive families because you often didn't know if you'd see them again. One girl lived with us for about 2 years and got adopted when she was around 6 years old. She's now 19 and was finally able to get back in touch with my parents last year after her adoptive parents had essentially cut off contact to us when she was young. But, she still remembered fondly the time she'd spent with us and was happy to get in touch again. Another boy was adopted by someone my mom worked with, so we're still in contact with him. However, other kids we'll never really know where they ended up. So, it is a hard thing, but it definitely has its rewards to both the children and foster families involved. However, I'm not sure if I would ever do it or not.

My husband and I have decided to just adopt instead of doing foster care. I know people who have done foster care and they are wonderful people with big loving hearts, but I just couldn't do it. It takes a special person to be able to have the strength it takes for Foster Care, from bringing the emotionally hurt children into your home, to being able to grow close and bond with them and then let them go.

nope i couldn't do it. i get to attached way to easy. in school one of my best friends was a foster child and when she left it was so hard for her and her family(at that point they where her family) and for her friends. i still wonder where she went and what she is doing. i used to babysit and when one of the kids would start going to school and didn't need a sitter anymore i found it really hard. so i know i couldn't handle it as far as that goes. plus my husbands nephew was put in foster care for awhile and he did everything he could to make his foster parents life he'll. he molested his younger brothers kind of and they put him in a home with other kids. so just know some what of how the system works things i couldn't chance putting my kids through something like that. it my seem wrong of me but my kids come first always. and i know they are not always like my husband nephew but i also know that the system don't always tell.

I am with you on that. I couldn't return them. I too love kids and could deal with the issues that come with them but there is no way I could say goodbye to them. Especially if they had been taken out of a home that they had suffered abuse or something like that. It would be just too hard.

I want to do foster care to give unlucky children a good decent home. However I dont think I really could. First reason being I dont know if I could handle the extra responsibilities on top of my 4 year old that is a handful and a half. And second, I would get attached to them and not want them to leave. However in a round about way it could be good for my daughter if she had someone else to play with and stuff. Maybe she wouldnt be so shoved up my butt all the time.