I’ve been going like crazy for 3 hours doing nothing but processing email to get ready for the matching bash this week.
But I’ve had good news today. Several kids over 12 have been matched within the last month, which is so encouraging... including a 15 year old and a 16 year old. As you know, this is a HUGE deal for me.
I’ve also been encouraged by some other success stories I’ve recently heard. One was here last night and goes to our church -- very intelligent, been with the same foster family for 6 years, never legally free, but foster parents committed to him for life. He’s heading off to college to live in the dorm. I’m hoping to make a connection with him and pick his brain. His foster parents have been doing foster care for a long time and are obviously committed to this young man for life.
I first talked about these boys last summer when we met them. Two boys who remained good friends of John’s throughout his stay at the ranch. I just got a call from one of them this past weekend. He finally found his birthdad who he hadn’t seen since he was six years old. The dad is having his home study completed so that he can live with him. I was even able to help answer some questions his dad had about the paperwork and talked to him directly. So it looks their is a potential happy ending for a kid who had been a legal orphan from the age of 6.
I asked him about “Jack” who I wrote about last summer. One of the staff at the ranch quit his job there so he could become a foster parent and have Jack move in with him. This kid has never been legally free though both parents are in jail most of the time. But this is a great ending for his story. He’ll be able to go to public school, which he’s wanted for several years -- and he’s very bright.
There are so many times when things DON’T work out that it’s nice to hear a few good stories now and again.
But I’ve had good news today. Several kids over 12 have been matched within the last month, which is so encouraging... including a 15 year old and a 16 year old. As you know, this is a HUGE deal for me.
I’ve also been encouraged by some other success stories I’ve recently heard. One was here last night and goes to our church -- very intelligent, been with the same foster family for 6 years, never legally free, but foster parents committed to him for life. He’s heading off to college to live in the dorm. I’m hoping to make a connection with him and pick his brain. His foster parents have been doing foster care for a long time and are obviously committed to this young man for life.
I first talked about these boys last summer when we met them. Two boys who remained good friends of John’s throughout his stay at the ranch. I just got a call from one of them this past weekend. He finally found his birthdad who he hadn’t seen since he was six years old. The dad is having his home study completed so that he can live with him. I was even able to help answer some questions his dad had about the paperwork and talked to him directly. So it looks their is a potential happy ending for a kid who had been a legal orphan from the age of 6.
I asked him about “Jack” who I wrote about last summer. One of the staff at the ranch quit his job there so he could become a foster parent and have Jack move in with him. This kid has never been legally free though both parents are in jail most of the time. But this is a great ending for his story. He’ll be able to go to public school, which he’s wanted for several years -- and he’s very bright.
There are so many times when things DON’T work out that it’s nice to hear a few good stories now and again.
I would love to hear your insights sometime on how some kids and adoptive parents "match" and some fail to make that connection.
ReplyDeleteLisa
www.sunshinegirlonarainyday.com
http://sunshinegirlonarainyday.blogspot.com/
I think that whether or not kids "match" with new parents has a lot more to do with how committed and well-trained AND well-supported the parents are than anything else.
ReplyDeleteCompatibility isn't necessarily the key, because there are a lot of incompatible people who are married for life or who make the parent-child bond happen.