The day finally arrived for Ali, our last foster daughter, to say goodbye to our family and return home. She has been part of our family for 16 months, this time. She arrived a month before her fourth birthday, and now she is five. She also lived with us for nine months when she was one year old, which is why we took her back. (We were not going to foster any more children.) It was a busy day today; Ali had a vision appointment at 1:00 PM. We picked her mother up on the way to the vision appointment so she could be part of it. I had my two granddaughters with me who are one and two, plus my adopted daughter who is one. Therefore, it was helpful to have Ali’s mother go back with her for the eye exam and help her choose her first pair of glasses. Ali’s preschool teachers were scheduled to arrive at 2:30 PM for their final in-home consultation. They were 15 minutes early, so they pulled in the driveway right behind us.

The teachers insisted that I be part of the meeting because she had lived with me the entire school year. Yet, they wanted to talk about what to do with Ali this summer, to prepare her for Kindergarten in the fall. Therefore, they needed to meet with Ali’s mother, because that is where she will be. We decided to meet at our home, and then make the move. The teachers said goodbye. After the meeting, we finished packing Ali’s stuff, and her mother helped me load it into our van.

Afterward, we sat down to drink a glass of soda. We decided to wait 10 minutes for Super Dad, (aka Uncle Daddy to Ali) so he could say goodbye. That is when Dani lost it. Dani is our 10-year-old daughter whom we adopted in November. She and Ali arrived at our home together, the first time, in 2004. They are actually cousins by birth, but have always lived as sisters. That is except for the 17 months Ali was home, in between her placements with us.

It will be rough night as the reality sets in around here. Dani has a goal of trying to follow the rules so she can spend a night with her cousin. Hopefully, that will motivate her. Ali’s mother has indicated that she will be able to spend the night occasionally. The last time she returned home, her parents let her spend the night about once a month. We also promised to stop by next weekend with Ali’s other belongings as we find them.



Photo Credit: 2006 Julia Fuller.