Thread: First Call!
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Old 06-19-2008, 10:25 AM
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buttascotchbaby buttascotchbaby is offline
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I just have to add my 2 cents & don't mean to be a wet blanket

When I was first licensed I felt exactly the same way: I only wanted to adopt and I only wanted a younger child/infant. I figured that this was what was best for me and for my bio son. I was listed as only taking what we used to call "risk adopt", which doesn't even exist anymore! I waited just about a year with not one call! One day I spoke with a matcher and I finally "heard" what I am sure was told to me in the past, and that was: very few kids come into care ready to be adopted. By the time they get to that point there is nearly always someone identified who wants to adopt that child; if not a friend or family member than it is the foster parent who has had that child up to this point.

*click!*

For me that was it. I called my licensing worker, asked to be changed to straight foster and foster/adopt. That was on a Weds. On Friday I got a call with my first placement. I was very unsure, she was older, there were issues, etc., but I figured, what the heck? I can try and if it really is not working out I will have to ask her to be moved. She ended up being with us for almost a year and I feel as if she was the child of my heart and my heart was broken when she was r/u (mainly b/c I had/have fears for her safety), but I would not have missed out on that year for anything!

Since then I have had a number of placements and now headed towards finalization of two kiddos who I NEVER would have taken under my initial idea of what was "perfect" for my little family! LOL They have been with us for over 2.5 years, they are now almost 7 and 12 and it has been a rollercoaster ride! But they are awesome additions to our family and I am so thrilled that I relaxed the perimeters of what I was willing to accept. I am not saying that you should do this, it is just my experience

On the other hand, if you are sure of what you want and what will work for you; stick to your guns, b/c, as a PP said, they WILL try to place other situations with you b/c that is their job: to get kids in safe homes.
__________________
Jennifer
Single Mom to:
Bio son M (8/96)
Adopted son "E" (13 y.o.) & his sister:
Adopted daughter "S" (7 y.o.)
Sibs were placed: 12/05
TPR: 6/07
Finalized: 9/8/08

Foster daughter "O" (2.5 y.o.)
Placed: 3/06/06
R/U: 5/15/08


Starting active pursuit of adding #4 through fost/adopt or private adoption: 4/08
:

Current Foster Placements:
Sibs L ( 7) & A ( 5) placed 2/27/09 Goal: R/U


The Samoan Princess (1 y.o.): Placed 5/29/09
R/U 9/11/09


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