Office Work.......

[wegotchickens]

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I've done this, and it truly is sad. But there's a serious up-front chunk of change required to adopt and I just don't know that we can swing that much in one go. Among the other issues, of course, like DH being reluctant. He and I have different life goals. He wants us to focus on retirement and travel. I am a homebody, and all the things that go with it.


Here's an ironic twist: I'm less worried about the foster kids being scarred up and damaged then I am about myself and whether I'm too scarred and damaged to be good for the kids and their issues. I've talked to DD about this quite a bit and she assures me I'm just being insecure.

 

[NellaBean]

I have to admit.........I am not a fan of kids

And my man isn't either. We have no plans to have any of our own making

However, I do think when I get older (like 20 years from now) I wouldn't mind fostering a kid or two. I don't like babies but if my biological clock starts ticking, I would rather help a kid in need than bring in a baby. Maybe someday.........

 

[Southernbelle]

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You sure about that?

In our state, adopting through the foster care system is completely free. The filing fees and lawyer fees are completely covered by the state. As you know, foster parents are paid by the state (a few hundred dollars, anyway) per month for taking care of the children and in our county, they continue paying the foster parent that monthly stipend after adoption until the child is 18 AND the child gets to keep their Medicaid insurance until they're 18. Not a bad deal at all. You may want to look into foster-care adoptions in your state a little closer.

Private adoptions are very, very expensive and that's not what I'm talking about.

 

[Southernbelle]

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Fostering is quite wonderful most days!! I'd recommend it to everyone for a time

We're still active foster parents, but we haven't been called upon for years. I guess that's a good thing, they're training more foster parents than they have kids to fill the homes.

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
You sure about that?

In our state, adopting through the foster care system is completely free. The filing fees and lawyer fees are completely covered by the state. As you know, foster parents are paid by the state (a few hundred dollars, anyway) per month for taking care of the children and in our county, they continue paying the foster parent that monthly stipend after adoption until the child is 18 AND the child gets to keep their Medicaid insurance until they're 18. Not a bad deal at all. You may want to look into foster-care adoptions in your state a little closer.

Private adoptions are very, very expensive and that's not what I'm talking about.

I looked at straight adoptions in TN vs foster-child adoption. Foster-child adoption is less expensive, but has its own issues.

I was looking at straight adoption because I'm not sure how good I'd be at letting a child go after I'd gotten attached. A family friend fosters and has a LOT of kids coming & going into their home. Sometimes I think this lady has less invested in these kids than I do in my chickens. Does that make sense? So the coming-and-going is no big deal to her. But I don't operate like that. I'd want them to eat better than ramen noodles for dinner, would want to be involved with them. And I don't think I'd want them to go. I know that will be DH's argument against fostering; that I'll get my heart broken one way or another.

 

[wegotchickens]

Thought for the day:
Coal, when subjected to intense pressure and heat over time, is transformed into a diamond.
Does that mean the 'fun-size' Baby Ruth in the bottom of my purse will someday become Godiva?


It's actually a moot point, since upon finding said lumps of Ruth bar I ate them....
But I did hold out for a couple of hours contemplating the Godiva potential!

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
I guess I don't run with the herd, LadyHawk, because I exercise on my own all the time. I have for YEARS due to my weak back. Its just that the usual routine doesn't do what it used to do for the rest of me (getting old sucks, in that respect).
We did the gym for a year. Here's some things I learned:
1) I am disinclined to leave the house and drive to the gym. Especially after I get home from work.
2) They offer 'healthy' smoothies at the gym at outrageous prices but DD wants one anyway.
3) If we skip the shake, we pass several fast food joints on the drive home. There's a McD's on the corner where you turn in and out of the dang gym! Its a plum site for the fry guys, though.
4) I miss out on chicken time since the closest gym is about 15-20 minutes from the house. I could use those minutes for the birds.
5) DH would never try the gym. But he would use the elliptical. Since he and DD are so competitive, and a lot of good units have computer integration, I could set up a marathon between them. I really REALLY like this idea.

 

[Boyd]

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Fostering is quite wonderful most days!! I'd recommend it to everyone for a time

We're still active foster parents, but we haven't been called upon for years. I guess that's a good thing, they're training more foster parents than they have kids to fill the homes.

see, its a bit backwards here, they have less homes than kids.. And in our instance because we take teens, its always hard about deciding on who we take in.. because if we don't they usually go to a residential home

 

[wegotchickens]

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Isn't that what the handles are for???
I used to watch TV at the gym while I 'skied' on an elliptical, so I guess I could handle it at home...

 

[Whispering Winds]

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Ha!! that is good! I knew an accountant at a small factory once who had a customer who would not pay their bill and she had tried everything short of turning them over to an agency, and off the top of her head one day sent them an FTD and a nice note and they paid PROMPTLY that week.