Foster homes are needed in Bryan County and the training can be achieved in as little as four Saturdays. Investing one's time in training and then investing one's heart in a foster child has been very rewarding for most foster parents.
Admitting that they feared the worst in the beginning, many of their fears were relieved as they fell in love with their foster kids. Following are some quotes from Bryan County foster parents in their first year.
“Becoming a foster parent is a very scary endeavor to most people. It holds a stigma that the qualifications are too steep and the demands will be too high. My husband and I both have full time jobs, and I thought we wouldn't qualify because of our work schedules, but we did. We've had a baby girl for almost a year now and it has been truly rewarding. It's been challenging as she weighed only 13 pounds at seven months old, when we got her. Her immune system was down and she was behind in physical and mental development.
“She now sleeps through the night and is doing great. She's gone from being classified as ‘failure to survive' to being ahead in some developmental areas. We will have to wait and see, but we hope that her parents can get their lives together and take her back. That's what she will want when she gets older or she will feel something is missing. Every child needs family and we are it for her for now and as long as she needs us to be.”
“Not having nine months to prepare for a baby to come was a bit of a shock, but we have made it just fine. Adjusting to the change was the main issue in the beginning, but after that, it has gone really smoothly.”
A foster parent of an older girl said, “I haven't had any trouble with her and I have really enjoyed it. I've helped her get her drivers license, GED and take the ACT test. She is planning to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University in fall. She was so excited to find out that her college tuition would be paid by the Department of Human Services that it really gave her hope for her future. She has no family that supports her and she is welcome to stay with me as long as she wants.
“I think that if everyone would help one or two children by being a foster parent, our area and our whole society would benefit. If someone cares enough to help them get their life straight it truly makes a difference. There are no guarantees, but it is really been rewarding for me.”
The names of the foster parents and children were kept confidential due to privacy laws.
Who Can become a Foster Parent:
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