[saucey95]

Hi everyone! We are waiting and waiting and waiting but I have a question. Are any of you in the "two working parents" range? Both my husband and I work and wonder how those of you who have both parents working handled the initial placement of children.
Let me explain, we are a foster/adopt family waiting for our first match with the goal of adoption. When the children are first placed with you, do one of you take time off from work to get the child or children acquainted with the house, etc? I have been saving my PTO so I can take it without losing any money when the placement comes. This way I can spend time at home with the child and help him/her/them to adjust to our home and to get adjusted to them!
Tell me about your experience and how it worked for you guys. I'd like to hear from families where both parents work or there is a single working parent. Because stay-at-home mom's, well, stay-at-home, their experiences will be different from mine. I'd like to hear from those in similar situations. We don't have any bio children and any placement of children in our home will be our first experience with parenting (excluding caring for our niece and various family members).
Thanks!

[jodyk]

I'm a single working parent. When I decided to foster, I told my boss about it, and once I was licensed, I explained that I could get a child at any time & I wouldn't have much -- if any -- notice. When I got my fs, the call came around 3:00 & I picked him up at 5:00. (And the second time, I was called at 4:45 & picked him up at 5:30.) I told my boss as soon as the calls came (well, after I called my family) & said I'd need 2 days off to arrange day care & take him to the dr. ( A requirement when a child comes into care.) Fortunately, both times were near the end of the week, so I only needed a couple days off in order give us bonding time. (Our company calls it PTO time, too -- and that's what I've saved most of mine for as well!)

Don't worry -- it does work out.

[mom21]

My husband and I are both employed full time. When we received our first placement, I had two weeks left on a medical leave for surgery. I was home with FS full time for those two weeks and then placed him in daycare. My husband and I work different shifts (me 8a-5p, him 2p-10p) so our situation is probably a little easier than most. When we received our 2nd placement, a NB girl, my employer allowed me to reduce my workweek to 30 hours for the first 6 weeks, so hubby was home with the baby in the morning and I took over at 1p. Of course, there was PTO for the first few days and Dr. appts. After 6 weeks, I went back to a 40 hr. week and my daughter started daycare.

We were able to adopt our daughter when she was 8 months old. She still attends daycare for 4 hours a day -- and she LOVES it.

[sdwjones]

Sounds similar to what we are planning to do. We will receive placement of our 4 month old FS on Monday. I plan to take 2 weeks leave for bonding, then my neighbor, who is a licensed care provider will take care of him while I work.

[MidwestMom]

Hello Saucey95..
Hubby and I both work. When we get a call for a placement we just rearrange our schedules at work if needed, hubby has a very fexible schedule and mine is more rotating.. Most times we are given the option of when we would like to take the child. When the child(ren) come to the home we go through the house together. We also give them the "rules of the home" while doing this such as what to do in case of an emergency, bedroom doors stay open, the dog sleeps in the kennel at night etc. If the child is younger then school age, then one of us will rearrange work schedule so that one parent is always home the first week. Then we do the doctors, check in with daycare, shop for clothing. Of course alot of one on one time is needed at first and that is generally with the little one on your hip. <smile> Before we were licensed we check into a couple of daycare centers, did the walk throughs, met the staff, got all the paperwork--just in case. Then when we took the children that would need daycare--all we had to do was call to see if there was an opening. Generally the daycare centers require up to date shot records and physicals before the child can attend. Having the paperwork in hand help us to get what we needed from the social worker right away. If you are going to take schoolage children I would suggest doing the same thing with the school. I know here we have to submit paperwork by noon of the day before they can attend. So in other words if you did not have the paperwork in by noon on Monday then they could not start school until Wednesday. Also the first night that they are with us we go out to eat, we'll go to a nice buffet. It helps us to see what the children prefer to eat and it makes a night without dinner dishes!
Take Care...

[snow_doe]

My husband and I both work full time in another county than we live in, so when we got our then 3yo I had to take the week off with her. (We got her late on a Sunday night) I was lucky to find a daycare near where both my husband and I work immediately but she had some medical issues that had to be worked out before she could start. She never had any shots, had terrible ringworms on her chest and arms, things like that but once she was over that and the dr gave us permission we got her into a routine as quickly as possible.
Had she not had med problems I would have taken her to daycare on the first day. It is important to get these kids in a set routine as soon as you can. Routine helps kids settle in and know what is expected.
When she got there that night we showed her the house, the kitchen, her room, her bathroom and introduced the pets to her. She is RAD so she took to us right away and settled in like she had been there her whole life.




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Love them while you have them, Teach them what you can, Hug them every single day, and pray, pray, pray.