The experience of fostering and adopting a child can be filled with both tremendous joy and happiness, as well as incredible challenge as families adjust to a new way of living. At the The Children’s Center, you make it possible for families to be supported throughout the entire process. Child Welfare specialists offer support and therapy to help make the transition as smooth as possible. Wendy, a mother of three soon-to-be adopted children, and former TCC client, shared her story of her family’s journey from foster care through the adoption process…
“My husband, Scott, and I did not set out to be foster parents. After having seven children of our own who are now adults, we wanted to open our home to one child whom we hoped to adopt straight away. Our hopes immediately changed with our first TCC guardian placement with Grace and Addison. Grace and Addison are sisters who came to us in 2015 from a previous guardian who turned out to be abusive; the girls were 3 and six years old. A year later their younger brother Jackson, who was two at the time, joined our family as well.
Both girls, but especially Grace, had a lot of problem behaviors when they came to live with us. Grace was having blow-out tantrums, sometimes as frequently as eight times a day. We couldn’t get through to her and I was at my wit’s end. There were so many times I wanted to give up. The thing that stopped me every time was that if I gave up on her, everyone else would give up on her too. We had to be the one to stay by her side and believe in her.
Eventually, after over a year, she started telling us about the physical and sexual abuse she endured in her previous guardian’s home. I was horrified; I cried for three days after hearing what she told me. Despite my pain, Grace slowly opened up about her traumatic past and her tantrums subsided.
The Children’s Center walked us through the complicated and frustrating foster care and adoption processes. They provided therapy and helped the children start working through the trauma of their pasts. Scott and I set out to adopt Grace, Addison, and Jackson three years ago when they joined our family, but the adoption is still unfinished. There have been a lot of twists and turns and hoops to jump through to make this happen. It was nothing like what I expected. But we have learned to advocate for these kids and be their voice. And now that we are so close to finalizing the adoption, we will soon be able to breathe again and enjoy our new family.”
