There are several comments and emails that I will be answering or addressing in the next few days. One dialogue has been going on that I need to address, there are a number of different points that I will be replying to on a few different post, so please bear with me.

I will address the first statement below read more of the comment here:

I question the ability of any parent, while currently raising biological children–to bring foster children... more

This week has been a crazy and stressful week for me and my entire family. My mother had a massive heart attack leaving her too weak to endure open heart surgery. After a few days of building her lungs up she underwent a five bypass surgery to her heart (four were successful and one was not). This long ordeal and stressful time has reminded me how important it is for a foster parent to somewhat prepare for these life happenings.

It is easier for foster parents to adjust to daily life with foster children becoming part of the family than when major happenings... more

How did you know that you could handle what they send your way? This is a difficult question that I had to spend sometime thinking about. I do not think anyone knows for sure without a shadow of a doubt that they can handle anything that Child Welfare throws their way. It is not about being a super parent that knows all there is to know, and really, is there such a thing? Parenting whether through fostering and our own children it can be a daily learning experience.

Granted this is totally my opinion but here goes. It is more about being willing to learn... more

Knowing this was the right thing for my family was not as easy as knowing for myself. My husband was reserved about being a foster parent but he also knew how important this was for me on a personal level. I was not sure if it was something that it he would take to or like.

In time he fell into it, granted it was not his passion as it was mine. When we started fostering the children that we have now adopted he found that he did like it. We had the pleasure of fostering a newborn infant right from the hospital, she was born addicted to drugs and went through... more

How did you know for sure that foster care was the right thing for you to do?

Knowing that foster care is the right thing to do for you personally and your family is not something easy to explain. I have been asked how does one know this so I will give it my best shot and try to explain. Everyone will probably have a totally different idea or thought about it so please share below.

First, I the think the biggest question should be the reason you have decided to become a foster parent. Helping foster children work through their abuse, behaviors,... more

The numbers of sex offenders continue to grow in our country. It was reported the other day on television that more women are becoming sex offenders. Teachers and other women are having sexual relations with teenage boys.

You may be asking what does this have to do with foster care? In Texas, a mother of two small children (age: 4 and 5) was convicted of sexual assault. She was sentenced to 23 years in prison. The children have been in foster care since August 2006. The biological father is... more

The post of “Colorado Pass Bill - Helping Siblings in Foster Care” has brought up a few questions that I would like to address.

Is this a trend? Are other states following suit with laws about the rights of foster siblings to see each other?

Some states are trying to assure that foster children are able to see their siblings. Colorado is the only state that I am aware that has passed any kind of law or legislation to assure that foster... more

For the public to understand the foster care system and the need for foster care, they must understand the abuse and lives these children have lived. The abuse of children is an ugly and uncomfortable thing to talk about or think about for a lot of people. Some of these things these foster children have endured is unimaginable.

It is a difficult thing for us wrap our minds around that a biological parent would harm and allow others to harm their children. Just because it would be hard for us or uncomfortable for us does not mean thousands of children on a... more

Would foster children be better off left with their biological parents, or other situations that they are removed from, than being placed into foster care? This is a question that everyone hears time to time and one that I have been asked as a foster parent. I am sure that there are a few cases when children have been removed where the biological parents could have possibly received services to address the concerns. For the most part, when foster children are removed there is a just reason for it.

Any child living with a drug addicted biological... more

House Bill 1006 has passed in Colorado that will help foster children that have siblings in different foster homes and also when a sibling ages out of foster care. It is not uncommon for foster children to be separated in foster care. In some areas, foster siblings can find themselves separated by a number of miles making visits difficult and more likely not to happen.

In these situations, siblings are the only family that these foster children may have. A lot... more