Foster Family
Right at this very moment there are more kids in foster care than ever before. And also right at this moment, there are fewer foster homes available for them.
We can get angry at the parents for having kids and not knowing how to parent and for making poor choices, but the kids are still here and they need us. Each of us can have a part in these innocent children’s lives.
Foster parents are the real saints in this world. They have to teach and “unlearn” and deal with behaviors most of us have never encountered. They have to have more than just patience. They have to have steadfast faith and hope in each child and believe that their guidance and direction is having an impact on these children.
But these foster parents and we at Angels’ Arms get to experience the joy of many firsts for foster children. We get to see the expressions on their faces when they have their first birthday party; when they eat their first Dippin’ Dots; when they give us hugs and thank you cards; when they get their first “A” on an assignment; when they go to Trout Lodge and experience their first vacation; when they take a dance or music lesson; when they run track or play soccer. The list goes on and on. The joys are endless, and what we have to do every day (sometimes every hour) is remind ourselves that these joys outweigh the scary and troubling behaviors and attitudes.
All of us can and need to play a part in foster children’s lives.
Bess Wilfong
Angels’ Arms Founder/Executive Director