More than ever before, John and I have been told, "It is going to break your heart when they leave you" or some variation of this. While I want to shout... every time... "I KNOW!" I will offer this quote for you and others to consider:
"They have to go someplace, the children you read about in the paper, the injured ones with burns and broken arms, the little ones found alone in cold apartments, the frightened ones in the scenes when parents are arrested on drug charges, the glassy-eyed teenagers sleeping on park benches." -Kathy Harrison, Another Place at the Table
Anna, an incredible friend of ours and her husband are currently foster parents of 2 children. She is able to speak about this particular topic better than I can and she is wonderful with words. But she goes on to say the heartache we are signing up for is worth it because again, this isn't about us. This is about the kids. I highly encourage everyone to read this. The Inevitable Hurt In Foster Care And Why It's Worth It
Anna, an incredible friend of ours and her husband are currently foster parents of 2 children. She is able to speak about this particular topic better than I can and she is wonderful with words. But she goes on to say the heartache we are signing up for is worth it because again, this isn't about us. This is about the kids. I highly encourage everyone to read this. The Inevitable Hurt In Foster Care And Why It's Worth It
My heart is doing its best to prepare for what will come through our doors in possibly weeks. I am already loving and praying for our future kids just as a mother does when she is pregnant (I think, I haven't been pregnant so I guess I can't know for certain). But I know I already love them. I can't wait to meet them, see their personalities, watch them grow and change. I am so excited and yet so scared. Most days I feel lucky to get myself cleaned and fed and now I am jumping through hoops to get the opportunity to take care of some tiny people.
The kids that end up in foster care need a safe and loving place to go. Those types of homes have to come from somewhere. Will our home be perfect? Of course not. Do I know what I am getting into or what to expect? I don't. Do I know what it is like to part with a child you love? I don't, but I am signing up anyway. These kids do not deserve to be punished or miss out on something because I do not want a broken heart. This isn't about me or John, this is about some kiddos who need a place to sleep.
I am not naive. I know this won't make it easier or less painful when a child goes back, but the loss will be the side-effect of a far greater joy. Hopefully they will be leaving our home because they are being re-united with their family. Hopefully someone has done their part to recover and deserves another opportunity to parent. I was once told by some very seasoned foster parents, "nothing will ever prepare you for what you are about to do." I think she was speaking about both the good and the bad.
So in answer to what I can only assume is a rhetorical statement about the heartache of having children leave our home, yes it will cause John and I to experience a heart break like neither of us ever had, but that is not a reason to not do this. We need our friends and family to stand behind us and say, "What do you need?" or "I am here for you." We don't need an "I told you so" because..................... we know.
