Limited Criteria

Monday night we had our annual re-evaluation for foster care. Prior to the family worker coming over, we talked about it as a family. I had told CHOR sometime just before school started that we would be open to take in children for respite only. As a family we decided we are open to taking in a traditional foster care placement. We talked about how that might work and what would change for each of us. Love Bug and Chica Marie do not have experience taking in a child temporarily. When the family worker was there we talked about what type of placement we could take, based on our limited space. We settled on a girl either between ages 9-11 (12 if she wasn’t a very mature 12 year old) or a girl 6 or younger. The child has to be a girl because she will be sharing a room with Chica Marie. I suggested not taking in a girl Chica Marie’s age because often times Chica Marie struggles to get along with peers and I worried she would get jealous and competitive. After the family worker left, Chica Marie asked me if we would be adopting the child who came into our home. We talked about how we foster the dogs and how they are only with us temporarily. Chica Marie persisted, asking, “if the child’s mother can’t take her back, will we adopt her then?” I told her it was something we would talk about if that time came but I didn’t want her to think too much about it because many of the children in foster care return home to their parents or live with another family member. I honestly don’t know if we will get any calls for placements, our criteria is pretty limiting. I know from what the family worker said, the greatest need is for sibling groups and teenagers. We cannot help in those areas, but if they find a placement they think would fit, I hope they think of us. If not, we will just cruise along, keeping the option open.