Life
I was an accidental foster mom for a year before I went back to work full-time. My husband and I got involved in foster care when we adopted our infant daughter and realized the need was so great, even for short-term foster care. While adopting my two kids has obviously been life-changing, being a foster mom was the single most transformative thing I've ever done. I'm not alone, either. In fact, I asked women to share the most incredible part about being a foster mom, and I think their answers will absolutely warm your heart.
Most of us only know about foster care from what we read in the news or hear about when there's a sob story to be shared. There are some really awful things foster parents, and foster kids, have done that we've all read in the newspaper or heard about on television. But those horrible stories — while important and worth knowing about — are not indicitive of the majority of foster care experiences. In fact, the majority of foster experiences are the exact opposite.
With a nationwide shortage of foster homes, it's important to share the incredible parts of being a foster mom, because there really are life-changing, memorable, fantastic parts that you'd be hard-pressed to experience doing anything else. Yes, it's hard. No, the system isn't perfect. But I would do it again in a heartbeat, and I know these moms would, too.
Debbie
"I think the best thing about being a foster mom is being able to be part of a person's journey. To try to give them what they need for the season they are with you, and to know that what you give can be a foundation for next steps, or even a hope for more in the future for that child."
Kat
"The most incredible part of being a foster mom is also one of the hardest parts: it's not even about you. It's about a kid who needs love and support and stability, and you get to give that gift over and over again."
Erin
"The most incredible thing about being a foster mom is the privilege of loving these babies from hard places, when they may otherwise be unloved. And to know that no matter where God's story leads them, they will forever have our family praying for them."
Leesa
"I think the most incredible thing about being a foster mom is that while it can be totally exhausting, you get a constant reminder that you are in a position to give to a child who is in need. It's a daily reminder that you have extra to share."
Emily
"This isn't the cozy, cuddly side of foster care, but to me, the most incredible thing has been leaving my bubble. Were it not for foster care, I never would have seen outside my safe little bubble and it has opened up a new level of compassion for people who are struggling to make life work."
Jaime
"The most incredible thing about being a foster mom is that moment when your foster child softens and knows he or she feels completely welcome as part of the family. Sometimes that takes a little while to happen, sometimes it even takes a very long while, but when you can see that a child knows they have a home, that's an incredible feeling."
Kelly
"The best part of being a foster mom is when you get to send a child home and know that it's the safest, best place for that child. We hear a lot about broken families, but when foster care can allow a parent the time and space to get back on their feet, and be a better parent for their kid, that's a huge gift."
Julie
"Watching the rest of my family, including my biological kids and our extended family, embrace our foster kids as though they were always part of our family has been the most incredible part of being a foster mom."
Kate
"The most incredible thing about being a foster mom is when you get to witness a milestone. When we got to feed our foster baby her first solids, it felt like such a privilege to be the one documenting it and cheering her on."
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