A Family for Four Siblings
Donation protected
On June 26th we found out we lost our jobs and four siblings were losing their placement together.
On June 28th we decided to turn our lives upside-down and try to keep them all together.
Since then, the clock hasn't stopped counting down to the day they would get moved and split up for who-knows-how-long, and we haven't given up trying to stop it. The support for these kids and the encouragement from our friends, family, and co-workers hasn't stopped either, and now we know that it worked. All the tireless work, the classes, the worry, the resilience, has paid off. We did it. And by "we" I don't mean Josh and I; I mean the whole community. Never has it rung more true that "it takes a village to raise a child". Or, in this case, four children.
The endless confidence in our ability to parent these kids and be their light in a dark place is completely humbling. I doubt myself. I worry and I'm scared. We may have had 50-something kids in our home before, but I've never actually been "mom". I've never had a kid wander into my room after a bad dream, or even been able to completely share my life with them. But even with all the fear and worry, I know that we have to do this. We have to take care of these kids for the time that we have them, however long it ends up being. We have to parent them for as long as they need us, and besides my commitment to my husband, this is the most important commitment of my life. They need me. They need us. Most of all, they need to be together.
We may never get to adopt them. We may have to send them home to mom and dad in a year or in two years, and the uncertainty of that heartbreak is something I'm already learning to live with. But ask yourself- would you do it for your own child? Would you knowingly accept any hurt and pain in order to give them their best chance? Because I know for Josh and I we just don't have another choice.
We have been so blessed with the ability to make this happen, and the people along the way who have made it possible. As you can imagine, it isn't just the desire to take these kids in, it's the practical. We found a home (a great home!), and we found amazing landlords who are willing to take a risk on a brand-new foster family of six.
Our last hurdles are getting a van, and making this house a home. As a child-less couple, we just don't have the infrastructer to support four kids yet, but we're getting closer. We will be selling my car, but first we need to know we have a way for the whole family to travel together, especially considering the kids have several court-ordered visits a week with their family. They also need dressers and curtains and rugs and toy storage and night stands and everything but a bed (which we have already been blessed with!) and we want to give them the choice and control that they lack in so many other areas of their life. We want them to be excited about cultivating their own space, for the first (and maybe last) time in their lives.
So this is where we ask for your help. If you have a dollar or two to help us, every little bit helps! But we can also just use your continued love, prayers, and well wishes. If you have a minute, share our story and spread the word. We are so thankful for all the love we've received and look forward to the day we can tell the kids just how many people they have pulling for them.
Thank you for being part of our story.
(You can read more about the whole journey here.)
On June 28th we decided to turn our lives upside-down and try to keep them all together.
Since then, the clock hasn't stopped counting down to the day they would get moved and split up for who-knows-how-long, and we haven't given up trying to stop it. The support for these kids and the encouragement from our friends, family, and co-workers hasn't stopped either, and now we know that it worked. All the tireless work, the classes, the worry, the resilience, has paid off. We did it. And by "we" I don't mean Josh and I; I mean the whole community. Never has it rung more true that "it takes a village to raise a child". Or, in this case, four children.
The endless confidence in our ability to parent these kids and be their light in a dark place is completely humbling. I doubt myself. I worry and I'm scared. We may have had 50-something kids in our home before, but I've never actually been "mom". I've never had a kid wander into my room after a bad dream, or even been able to completely share my life with them. But even with all the fear and worry, I know that we have to do this. We have to take care of these kids for the time that we have them, however long it ends up being. We have to parent them for as long as they need us, and besides my commitment to my husband, this is the most important commitment of my life. They need me. They need us. Most of all, they need to be together.
We may never get to adopt them. We may have to send them home to mom and dad in a year or in two years, and the uncertainty of that heartbreak is something I'm already learning to live with. But ask yourself- would you do it for your own child? Would you knowingly accept any hurt and pain in order to give them their best chance? Because I know for Josh and I we just don't have another choice.
We have been so blessed with the ability to make this happen, and the people along the way who have made it possible. As you can imagine, it isn't just the desire to take these kids in, it's the practical. We found a home (a great home!), and we found amazing landlords who are willing to take a risk on a brand-new foster family of six.
Our last hurdles are getting a van, and making this house a home. As a child-less couple, we just don't have the infrastructer to support four kids yet, but we're getting closer. We will be selling my car, but first we need to know we have a way for the whole family to travel together, especially considering the kids have several court-ordered visits a week with their family. They also need dressers and curtains and rugs and toy storage and night stands and everything but a bed (which we have already been blessed with!) and we want to give them the choice and control that they lack in so many other areas of their life. We want them to be excited about cultivating their own space, for the first (and maybe last) time in their lives.
So this is where we ask for your help. If you have a dollar or two to help us, every little bit helps! But we can also just use your continued love, prayers, and well wishes. If you have a minute, share our story and spread the word. We are so thankful for all the love we've received and look forward to the day we can tell the kids just how many people they have pulling for them.
Thank you for being part of our story.
(You can read more about the whole journey here.)
Organizer
Angela Dawn
Organizer
Lake Forest, CA