May is Foster Care Awareness Month across the United States. The foster care system provides homes for children for a number of reasons, including those who had to be taken from their biological parent’s home for their safety. In Georgia, the number of children in foster care awaiting adoption is saddening. One family has taken their awareness of these children’s needs for secure families and put it into action.
With two biological children of their own, one couple also chose to adopt a child while fostering three other children. Over the last thirteen years, this couple has fostered more than 780 kids needing a home. The little girl the couple adopted came to them as a foster child when she was just a few weeks old; she is now 9 years old.
The family’s two daughters are grown and have kids of their own; the couple’s sons are in high school. Their three foster children are between the ages of two and four. All three of these children have special-needs and attend a preschool program the fits their needs. The couple treats their foster kids like they are their biological children and struggle each time they have to let them go to a forever home. Although the couple wishes they could keep each child, they know it is best for the children to find their very own home.
Being a foster parent provides a temporary home for children that had to be taken from their biological family. Taking the next step and adopting a child that needs a home completely changes the lives of everyone involved. Families looking into foster care or adoption in Georgia should consider all of the options available to them. Getting assistance from a family law professional can provide a better understanding of what each process entails.
Source: Arkansas Catholic, “Meet the Petersons: One man, one woman, 780 children“, Maryanne Meyerriecks, May 11, 2014