Yes, these are just a few of the questions the boys asked during the home study on Saturday : ) Daniel asked if she could make sure that the girls we got liked owls so we didnt have to spend money redoing the room LOL And Kamdyn wanted her to promise she wouldnt get girls who would bite HAHA
Oh how nice it would be if those were the only concerns James and I had with bringing 2 more children into our lives. Anyway, the home study went really well but she has to come back tomorrow evening so that we can finish the last 2-4 hours. Once that is completed, we are looking at probably 4-8 weeks before we get placement.
We have really been focusing on exactly what level of special needs we would be willing to consider. I am the type who would take in the most extreme special needs child you could imagine, while James on the other hand, does not have the same type of experience and exposure to such things as I do, so he is probably closer to the other end of the spectrum as far as being comfortable taking care of a special needs/medically needy child. However, after much praying and discussing over the last few months, I think we have both decided that we would be accepting to almost anything.... One thing we unfortunately just can not do though is accept placement of a child who has been sexually abused. As much as we want to help everyone, we just simply can not take the chance of having a child in our home who has gone through such things for fear that they might in turn act out against our own kids. We have to protect our boys first and foremost!! I have had some slight negative feedback from people regarding us being open to taking in special needs/medically needy children but all I can say to them, and anyone else who looks at it as a negative things is this......
Everyone is a wonderful creation of God! Should a child be turned away and not shown love, attention and care just because they are different? Should they be orphans just because they are different?
We are doing this because this is what God has called us to do and God has provided me with experience and training for years dealing with physically, mentally, emotionally and educationally delayed children so why now, at the most important time to put my experience and training towards a good cause, would I turn away children who fit into those categories. In my eyes, that would be doing a disservice to our ministry of being Foster Parents. Aside from those reasons, James and I firmly believe it will be wonderful life lessons for all 3 of the boys. It will teach them to treat everyone equally and to not pick on people who are different but to treat them with love and respect, even when other people are not willing to do so. With all of that being said, I hope that you will all support us in our decision to not just love, accept and care for "normal" children but to love, accept and care for children who need it regardless of any special needs that may come along with them. If you fit into the category of not being supportive of this decision then all I can say is that we have been praying for/ and will continue to pray for people who just dont seem to understand. We pray that God will open your heart and your eyes to see that everyone was created equally and just because someone has special needs does not mean they should be cast aside and not loved.... We are also praying for ourselves and the boys that we will all be able to adjust to the transition of being a 5 person family to a 7 person with few problems and difficulties. In addition to that, we are praying for the girls who God plans to send to us. We pray that they too will make the transition into our family as smoothly as possible. We pray that they will feel loved and wanted from the moment that they enter into our family and we pray that their family, whatever their situation may be, will be able to get the help that they need to become the parents that they should be, and that reunification is the end result. Thank you for everyone who has been and will continue to support us in our journey!
On a less serious note, Im so looking forward to pinks and purples, frills and lace, ruffles and bows and flowers and butterflies : )
