First of 9 classes, DONE!

Orientation Class was last night! Walking into the class, we were both curious what the other people there would look like. Am I the only one who thinks the stereotype for foster parents is 50-60 year old couples who have smoked since they were 8 years old, have 6 cats, 11 kids and dishes piled to the ceiling?

Well, I was disappointed not to find those odd balls in this crowd! Okay, I was pleased, actually. It was apparently a very large class for what is normal (about 24 people were there) and it was a real melting pot of ages, races and maybe even income level, but almost everyone seemed to be there for the right reasons. (in case you didn't know, the state pays $20/day per kid and up for foster parenting, so at $600/month some people are motivated for the wrong reasons)

The instructors were very well qualified with so much experience that I was dying to take them home with me and hear all their stories! They shared some very interesting examples of situations and here is what I learned:

The SPCA started CPS in 1887 when a girl was found starved and chained to a bed. There was no one to call to investigate except the SPCA. So, um, yeah....people cared more about cruelty to animals than people back then....and maybe still do. If only Sarah McLaughlin had been around to sing her guilt-ridden song for kids instead of dogs and cats!

The guy that started this agency, Mark Tennant, was a foster kid who moved to 3 homes before his 3rd family taught him who Christ was and what it meant to love unconditionally. While they didn't formally adopt him, they are still very much his family. He started Arrow in order to find more families like his 3rd family to love these children who have suffered so much rejection, abuse, loss, abandonment and neglect.

Psalm 127, "Children are a gift of the Lord, like arrows in the hand of a warrior."

We also learned the different ways kids come into the system and what it's like to commit to them. The commitment has to be VERY strong because having the child in your home and then saying "this isn't working out" is pretty much the worst thing you could do to them. That is how kids end up in so many different homes, it's because foster parents quit on them! This is why good people are needed for this job!

You give them a profile of what you want. You can ask for a 0-12 month old white baby with no developmental delays and wait a very long time or you can be wide open. Wide open is very scary. You could get a call in the middle of the night that a 15 year old boy needs a place to stay because his parents just got arrested and they may not know ANYTHING about this kid except his age and race. WHOA. That kid could be there for only one day (maybe a relative takes him once they are located) or he could be there for a year or for life. This has me re-thinking my 'qualifications list'. Not saying I wouldn't be open....and you can always say NO when they call....but WOW. That's tough stuff.

We also learned how you can adopt. There are 3 ways:

Foster to Adopt: you take foster kids and have to be prepared for them to leave your home after you've grown attached. But sometimes their parents won't complete all the steps needed to get them back and their rights get terminated and then you can adopt them if you want to, but you aren't obligated and you might not even be chosen if a relative steps in at the last minute that is suitable.

Legal Risk: One of the qualifications you can list for who you'll take is 'legal risk'. These are kids whose case is leaning toward them being available for adoption but with a small chance that rights may not be terminated. So you could ask for a kid under 3 years old, any race, legal risk, chose your preferred sex and end up adopting a kid in perhaps less time than it takes to pay $25,000 to adopt a newborn. And YOU get paid instead of paying.

Adoptable: Kids who are free for adoption. You can go to www.dfps.state.tx.us/Adoption_and_Foster_Care and see profiles of kids who want to be adopted. You can submit your application and if you're chosen it could be as little as a few months to process.

I also learned that recently a 10 month old black baby girl needed foster parents and was legal risk (probably adoptable) and only 1 family out of the 90 represented by Arrow had listed they were open to black babies. Everybody wants a white baby or Hispanic? Really? Not so among the people I know! Sad.

I'm learning more and more that if couples who want to adopt internationally are only doing so because they think it's too hard here or that there isn't a need.......THEY ARE WRONG!

Here is some incentive to consider adopting locally:

If you adopt a kid that is:

6 years old or older and white
2 years old and minority
Any age/race sibling group
Any age with special needs

That child qualifies for $400-$545 per month, Medicaid till 18, dental care, free college, AND reimbursement of adoption expenses!!! Hello! Why isn't there a billboard somewhere with this info?

FIRE INSPECTION UPDATE:

Talked to the fire dude and he said 45" from the floor windows aren't a problem and not to worry. A tri-fold fire place screen is what they DO NOT want to see, but a mesh pull chain curtain thingy is fine ($45). What gets most people is that you cannot use extension cords. AT ALL. You can use power surge strips, but no extension cords anywhere! Another thing that fails people is that your extinguisher must be inspected. He suggested you buy it at a place that inspect it and it runs $5. You also need to have a 3A40BC extinguisher. That is the type that passes. You can buy this at Longhorn Fire and Safety 512-258-SAFE 2003 S. 1st St. is the address. But there are other safety equipment companies around.

If you don't pass your inspection at $50, you have to pay another $50 for them to come back out.

Arrow is going to be at our church on Sunday after the service to talk about foster/adopt. Please tell everyone you know who might be interested! Austinbible.org