Foster placement to adoption stories vary greatly from family to family. Carolyn, a mother and adoption advocate became inspired by her life experiences to become a foster parent. This week Carolyn shares her heartwarming fostering journey with Foster Love - Together We Rise.

Close to Home

When asked why she pursued fostering, Carolyn stated.

“I had been adopted as an infant and later ended up in foster care myself. I felt compelled to accept the challenge that was to last only a couple of weeks.”

With a forty-eight hours notice, Carolyn and her family welcomed a five-year-old girl named Emma and a seven-year-old boy named Michael into their home. Carolyn goes on to say“ I received a call from DHS on a Wednesday morning and the kids and I met learning each other’s names, Friday at noon with their caseworker at my front door. The children had a couple of plastic bags and broken cardboard boxes with their belongings. They found out two hours prior that they were changing foster homes. We were not in the system as foster parents for a few more weeks officially.”

Reflection

Reflecting on her time spent with Emma and Michael, Carolyn states, “The first week I didn’t sleep much panicked about meals, baths, homework, brushing teeth, etc. While changing my work schedule to part-time, after years of being out of practice with young kids. We went shopping for all new clothes, shoes, and school supplies that weekend. Soon we developed a routine and began to get to know each other. We got to introduce them to hiking, kayaking, museums, and experience the joy of new and wondrous things through their eyes.”

Forever After

Six months later they were adopted from her home but Carolyn is still in contact with Michael, Emma, and their forever family. 

Carolyn “watched them blossom” over the course that they were in her care and expresses that it was a privilege to be in their lives.

Thank You

Thank you Carolyn for sharing your experience with us. 

If you are in the process of fostering to adopt, we’d like to help you photograph your adoption day. Check out our Framing Forever program for more information. https://www.togetherwerise.org/framing-forever/