Foster Parenting

[saddina]

yeah, the figment is draggin on doing his chores before dinner.

 

[Sillystunt]

Quote:
wow, fiments do chores

 

[saddina]

Quote:
wow, fiments do chores

In this house everyone does chores. I have a velcro chore chart with:

Chickens
Bunnies
Cats
Beds
games
toys
teeth
books
bikes
dishes
garden
laundry

Every day the cards are shuffled, and stuck next to everyone's name, when you've done your chore it gets checked and comes off the chart. If at bedtime your column is clear you get a sticker. Stickers can be cashed in for a chucky cheese token (and you better believe it's a 1 to 1 exchange rate). If mom has to do your chore you don't get that token, and I get to play Mario Kart.

 

[Sillystunt]

Quote:
wow, fiments do chores

In this house everyone does chores. I have a velcro chore chart with:

Chickens
Bunnies
Cats
Beds
games
toys
teeth
books
bikes
dishes
garden
laundry

Every day the cards are shuffled, and stuck next to everyone's name, when you've done your chore it gets checked and comes off the chart. If at bedtime your column is clear you get a sticker. Stickers can be cashed in for a chucky cheese token (and you better believe it's a 1 to 1 exchange rate). If mom has to do your chore you don't get that token, and I get to play Mario Kart.

good system! Mine are pretty good about it but i think when my boys get a little older we will be doing the chart~

 

[Boyd]

we have a rotating chore list which includes cooking dinner for our demon horde

 

[vicki2x2]

Hey Boyd and everyone! Just found this thread!

We are not foster parents, but we did go through the training, as we were going to do the foster to adopt thing. Then changed out minds at the last minute, we were worried about the impact on our two bio kids at the time, bringing kids into the house, thinking we would adopt them and then losing them.

The sw we talked to in this area was woefully uninformed. I told her we wanted to foster to adopt and was only interested in kids that were available or had a good chance of being available for adoption. She said we only do foster care. WHAT??? I asked her about MARE (Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange) she said something vague about she thought she had heard of it, but didn't know much about it. I not sure about the laws now, but at the time, the law stated any child in foster care over a year were to be listed with MARE and moved towards adoption so they don't languish in foster care for years. She said she had never heard that! I had just been to a weekend workshop on it! It was not comforting!

I had always wanted to adopt and had always felt I would adopt internationally and so we found a way to make that work. I would like to foster eventually, because I know there is really a need. I just need to wait until my youngest is older, as she has quite a few special needs and we are not ready to take on more, as of yet. Both of our adopted children have special needs, which is where my heart lies.

I have always thought I would foster young kids, but now that I have teens and I work with teens in 4-H and other areas, they are pretty cool actually. I am amazed at how they just want someone to talk to that will listen to them. I can look past the long hair, tatoo's, piercings, whatever. Those are just attention getters.

 

[fosterchick]

vicki2x2

The federal goverment say that once a child has been in the system for 18 months that they need to be acting on the perment plan. Then plan must be completed within 24 months, of when the child entered the system. I personally have not seen that happen the court systems tend to stall all the cases that I have done. For example: I adopted tow girls (sisters), moved in may 2001. Mom was finally termated in oct 2003. We finally got to adopt in sept. 2004.

 

[vicki2x2]

I knew it was something like that and this social worker acted like she had never heard that, scary! This was about 9 years ago, so hopefully things have changed, but still.

 

[Sillystunt]

when kids come up for adoption , foster parents have first dibbs on them. They have already created a bond and they want to keep that. I want to adopt but chose to foster. I know that the right kid will come along one day and in the mean time,there are other children who need temp care.

i have had some come and go and my kids have learned that the goal is reunification. That the kids should go back to mommy and daddy if they can. It can be hard but they understand! Mine are 3,4 and 16.

Adoption can take longer than 18 months, there is red tape and things happen.I believe if it is meant to be, it will be!

Your more needed as a foster parent and adoption is just the cherry on top~

These children never forget what you have done for them and some could care less. that's the selfless act you choose to give on to them!

 

[saddina]

We waited untill Erik was 5, and was old enough to understand that the kids would be staying here with us, and we will take care of them and love them, but they're not brothers and sisters. We still watch a girl from when we did daycare, so they're used to the here all the time, but we don't keep them idea.

Here they've become strict on the 18 Months plan, as they want to get the kids out of the caseload and into homes, but even in a hurry to find the kids a place, they need to make sure they have the right room/bed set up.