“It is kind of a lot. I’m not looking to get that involved.”

This was the voice on the other end of the line on Monday.  She was the thirty-seventh call I made, the third to pick up (others received voicemails, texts, or emails).  I sighed. It is true, I thought, fostering is “a lot” but being involved is where the magic happens.

We need people who want to be that involved. 

We need parents

The girls’ long-term foster parent had an emergency and had to go to be with her family.  She did not know how long she would be gone.  The girls, elementary school students, had developed a strong bond with Foster Mama and felt safe with her.  They suddenly felt scared.  Where were they going to go?  Were they going to see her again?  We cobbled together a respite plan and moved them within hours.  It wasn’t

According the the national average, nearly half of all homes licensed to provide foster care will quit within their first year of fostering.  That means if ten families open their doors, four of those families will close them in less than 12 months. 

What does that mean?  What is happening?

Fostering is hard.  There’s no gentle way to put it.  It impacts every facet of a fostering family’s life, from leisure time to work schedules