Thank you all for the kind words but I do this more for myself than anything. Having my first child at 17 and then going on to have a total of 4,helping run our business since I was 27,I never felt that I had the time to "give back" in any way. I used to donate blood just because it was something I could do to feel like I was doing my part and it didn`t take up much time. So after the kids were grown and gone and I retired (it was really "we" but hubby got bored after a couple of years and went back to work) I was bored silly. So,doing foster care was the answer for me. It certainly has it challenges,and honestly,not much in the way of rewards. The age of the kids we take (10 and up) gives us kids that are,sadly,pretty damaged in terms of what they have seen and lived with. We went into this really thinking we could make a difference in their lives and really,we don`t. They are already who they are by the time we get them. So we really just have to be happy with the fact that we give them a safe place to be while their parents take time to work on their issues,until the state invariably reunites them. Even my girls that we have now are suddenly having visits with their great aunt in preparation for sending them to live with her. This,after they had previously denied her request for custody as the mom was actually living with her. So 10 yo wants to go,cuz she wants to see mom,and 12 yo is vehemently against going as she has been there,done that (lived with the aunt before) and she knows exactly how it will end up. But I am having to prepare her for the fact that she may not have a choice in the matter. Sad.
