We became interested in adoption after a couple in our church community was arrested for drug-related offenses and the couples children entered the foster care system. We empathized with the four boys as they were split into multiple homes and experienced numerous placements. While we were not able to help those children, we decided that we would pursue becoming foster certified and reached out to our local DHS office. When the pandemic escalated in 2020, we put our foster certification on hold. This time allowed us to reflect on the information we learned in the foster certification training classes. At that time, we decided that we wanted to provide a permanent home for children in foster care through adoption.
We understand that the child or children we are adopting might have experienced significant trauma. We know that adoption is a lifelong developmental process in which the child will need continued support and empathy throughout their life. We maintain a culture of open discussion in our home. We will be taking the same approach with new adoption-related topics. Our goal is to normalize the adopted child's experience, while being empathetic to their needs, and give them the words and framework to contextualize their experience. We understand that the adopted children will likely struggle to bond and attach directly after placement. We intend to focus on ensuring the child feels safe by meeting the children's expressed and inherent needs consistently. We understand the importance of staying patient and engaged.