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Bridget and Ben
Idaho

Basic Info

Bridget

Age: 45
Sex:
Race/Ethnicity:
Religion:

Ben

Age: 48
Sex:
Race/Ethnicity:
Religion:

Child Preferences

Age: Infant to 21 years old
Sex: Either
Max Number of Children: 8
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian, African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Mixed, Bi-Racial, Unknown

Special Needs the Family is Open To: Animal Allergies, Asthma, Drug Allergies, Environmental Allergies, Food Allergies, Physically Aggressive to Other Children, Difficulty in Attaching, Difficulty Making Friends, Lying, Manipulative, Poor Social Skills, Self-Abuse, Stealing, Suicidal Attempts, Tantrums-Severe, Wets the Bed, Born with HIV issues or HIV Positive, Drug Addicted at Birth, Failure to Thrive, Fetal Alcohol Effected, Low Birth Weight or Premature, Prenatal Drug Exposure, Gastric Tube, Requires Life-long Medical Treatment, Tracheotomy, Non-Ambulatory, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physically Disabled-Mild, Blind, Deaf, Hearing Impaired, Intellectual Disability - Mild, Intellectual Disability - Moderate, Speech Delays - Mild, Speech Delays - Moderate, Speech Delays - Severe, Vision Impaired, Anorexia/Bulimia, Hoarding, Overeating, Academically behind due to poor attendance, Cognitive Delay - Mild, Cognitive Delay - Severe, Expulsion(s), Has Behavior Problems in School, Mild Learning Disabilities, Moderate Learning Disabilities, Severe Learning Disabilities, Speech or Language Impairment, Suspension(s), One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Depression, One/Both Parents Have Alcohol Addiction, One/Both Parents Have Drug Addiction, One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Bipolar, Exposed to Domestic Violence, Child in Residential Treatment, Child has had a disrupted adoption, Multiple Placements, Residential Treatment History, Child on Probation / Parole, Convicted of Theft, Previously Incarcerated, Limited Life Expectancy Due to Illness, ADHD, AIDS, Arthritis, Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Heart Disorder: May Require Surgery, Hemophilia, HIV, Missing Limbs: May Require Prosthesis, Muscular Dystrophy, Seizures, Sickle Cell Disease, Sickle Cell Traits, Spinal Bifida, Adjustment Disorder, Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Previous Psychiatric Hospitalization, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Requires Medication For Psychiatric Condition/Mental Health Diagnosis, Requires Counseling/Therapy, Willing to Maintain Contact via Mail with Bio Family, Willing to Maintain Contact with Past Foster Parents, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Grandparents & Other Relatives, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Siblings, Sexually Abused in the Past, Sexually Active, Alcohol Use, Marijuana, Smokes Cigarettes

Environment

State: Idaho
Neighborhood: Suburban
Residency: Single Family Home
Years Together: 16
Children in the Home: 12
Pet(s): Dog(s), farm animal(s)

Work

Bridget

Occupation: Music Teacher (In-Home)

Ben

Occupation: Financial Controller

Family Description

We are a fun-loving, outgoing, and busy family. We love sports, games, movies, camping, and spending time together. We still dance in the kitchen after 16.5 years of marriage much to the embarrassment of our teenagers and love the family that we have, even when it's hard and messy :) We have fostered nearly 60 children between 0 and 18 and have hosted 24 exchange students from around the world. We have both adopted and birth children and children of mixed races. We are certainly not perfect but we have battled through mental health issues, the long-term (and short term) affects of abuse and neglect, and have felt the pain of losing a child to suicide. We have walked through major medical issues and emerged stronger and wiser. We love deeply and unconditionally, and forgive often. We laugh and cry and wouldn't trade this crazy, fun life for anything.

Preference Description

We do not have a preference - we are open to any ethnicity, special needs, sibling groups. We are experienced foster & adoptive parents and would be open to discussing the needs of any children & how we might meet those needs & give them a forever home.

We have fostered nearly 65 children between 0 and 18 and have hosted 24 exchange students from around the world. We have both adopted and birth children and children of mixed races. We are certainly not perfect but we have battled through mental health issues, the long-term (and short term) affects of abuse and neglect, and have felt the pain of losing a child to suicide. We have walked through major medical issues and emerged stronger and wiser. We love deeply and unconditionally, and forgive often. We laugh and cry and wouldn't trade this crazy, fun life for anything.

We are a very active family. All of the kids participate in a variety of extracurricular activities including basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, cheer, music lessons, youth choirs, and 4-H. As parents, we are your biggest cheerleaders. We have also coached, participated as team parents, and been on school boards to help support our children and community. Every night we have family prayer and family counsel (what are we doing the following day, etc.) and we just generally love spending time together. We try very hard to eat dinner together around our 14 foot dining room table which is also the hub for homework, crafts, computer games, and family board games.

We live in a FABULOUS community with easy access to arts, entertainment, outdoor recreation, and excellent medical facilities. Our children attend one of three schools: Compass Public Charter School, West Junior High School, or Borah High School and we have a YMCA membership. Our children participate in 4-H, Club Idaho Volleyball, Riot Cheer and Dance, our YMCA, and Cantus Youth Choirs. We have completed foster care training through both our state agency and with Casey Family Programs. We have fostered nearly 65 children and been a host family for 24 exchange students from around the world. We have raised three teenage relatives and have adopted several times through our state's foster care program. We have served in various capacities related to youth for our church and have been coaches for volleyball teams, football teams, and soccer teams. We have attended a variety of conferences and trainings including Love and Logic, the Power of Positive Parenting, and post adoption support.

Because we have adopted and fostered before, we are definitely not strangers to the resources available in our community, including medical professionals, mental health and family counseling, special needs supports, and of course our church and extended family. We also are familiar with IEP/504 resources and how to advocate for our children. Essentially, we are ready, willing, and able to access whatever resources our children need to be successful, happy, and healthy!100% committed. Although sometimes that is easier said than done. Because we have had such extensive experience with children from a variety of backgrounds and types of abuse and neglect, we do not go in to adoption with rose colored glasses. We know it is a long road and there will be bumps, bruises, and pitfalls along the way. However, we know it is the right thing to do and will stay 100% committed to our child and family when we encounter those problems and reach out for help when the come.