Parenting would undoubtedly rank among the top ten most difficult occupations in the world if there were such a list. Raising children, running a household, and working to pay the bills and feed the family is a hard task for anyone.
Even if they don’t have to, some people decide to take on a difficult job. These people are known as foster parents.
Kate Holstein is a good example of this. She decided to become a mother in 2017. She applied to become a licensed foster parent in January of that year.
“I wanted to be a mother, but I was tired of waiting for Mr. Right to act. In an essay she wrote for Love What Matters, she stated, “I imagined I’d foster for a few years, help reunite a few families, and maybe get to say yes to forever.”.
After eight months of waiting, her application was approved.
Her first task arrived quickly. On the same day she was accepted, she learned there were two siblings in need of foster care: a one-year-old and a two-year-old.
Overnight, Katie became a first-time mother to two babies. It was “terrifying,” but it was also “everything I could have hoped for and more.”
In the next three years, she raised 16 children. She said she was apprehensive about taking teenagers after hearing so many horror stories, but when she met Akyra, she changed her mind.
I received a call from my favorite social worker on March 9, 2019. ‘I know you don’t deal with teenagers, but I have this girl,’ she said. She and her current foster family just need a break. “How about a weekend?” says the author. Katie remembered something.
During that time, she was fostering a number of children under the age of five, including Thomas, a newborn who spent some time in the NICU and whom she affectionately refers to as “Tiny.”
Katie wasn’t quite ready to take on another full-time foster child, but she consented since she wanted to help.
She made the right decision in the end.
Among the young children, Akyra was referred to as “big friend.” Katie and Akyra became friends through their shared interest in Twilight and sleeping in late. During the next few months, Askyra would visit her for a week here and there as she bounced around foster homes.
After almost a year of knowing Akyra, Katie decided it was time to foster her. She was 16 at the time and intended to live with Katie until she turned 18 and was no longer in the system.
The plan was for her to live with me for about a year until she graduated and then proceed to independent living, which is a wonderful program offered by our state.
“It provides youth who are about to leave the cabinet with lodging, a stipend, mentors, and assistance with jobs, school, and other issues until they are 22.” It allows children to transition gradually into adulthood rather than having to fend for themselves at the age of 18.”
As time passed, the two grew closer. Akyra asked if she had ever considered adopting a teenager. Katie realized what she had to do then.
Three days before her 17th birthday, Akyra became an official Holstein. Katie also adopted Thomas on the same day, at Akyra’s request.
Zoom broadcast the joyful ceremony live. Akyra’s caseworker, family, and friends all witnessed the historic event.
To commemorate their time in foster care, the trio held a photo shoot, which was documented on a board.
Katie hopes that now that their story has been shared, others will be inspired to welcome foster children into their homes. She told me not to worry about having everything in order.
“If I waited for ‘the perfect time,’ I would have missed my children.” I guarantee there are children in your neighborhood who need a safe haven right now, and they don’t care whether you’re on a budget, live in a small house, aren’t married, or are still struggling as a parent. According to her, “They need willing families, not ideal ones.”
What a beautiful message of humility and kindness! As this anecdote illustrates, being a true family doesn’t always mean being related by blood; it may also mean being linked by the heart.
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Source: yahoo.com
That’s so heart warming keep up the good work
I watched this on TV
They did a show about her situation
She is most fortunate
Most teenagers never get homes