It has been way too long since I've posted, and I apologize for that. So much has happened since my last post it's hard to know where to begin. Probably at the initial foster/adopt training. Those were two of the hardest days of training I have ever had to go through, and of course this is just the "stories" part, we have not even "touched" the reality .... more on that later.

The introduction class was an interesting mix of people looking to foster and/or adopt. There were a surprisingly (to me anyway) large amount of people there for kinship care. It saddens me to know first hand, how many biological parents are just not taking care of their own. At the same time, it was amazing to see all the different people, single and married, that are around and willing to “save” our society's children. Everyone was there for different reasons, some because they already had placements kinship, or other, some who would love to adopt, as Mel and I, and some that have, for a lack of a better word, fallen into a situation where they are faced, and have chosen, to foster and/or adopt a child.

The three (3) instructors who led the class were amazing! Not only did carefully cover all the major learning points of the class, but they had amazing stories to “drive home” their points. And boy did they. Ron Allen, of Touched by an Angel, Inc. was probably the most amazing of the bunch. (Look for his book coming out at the end of the year. Unfortunately I can't remember the name, but as soon as I know I will post it.) Ron and his wife became one of those families that just kind of “fell into” the care of their newest additions to their family. (The kids have been with them for a long time now.) Ron told us a few of the stories about how his kids became “part of the system” and some of the stuff they went through adjusting to being apart of Ron's family. Louise, the main instructor, works daily as a social worker, and explained some real hear wrenching situations she has encountered during her work. This woman is such a fantastic asset, her dedication and commitment to her work was so evident. Our last instructor, (sorry I can't remember his name), a Pastor from Colorado Springs, also told us some truths that the “common man” just wishes didn't exist.

The pain and trauma, some mental, some physical, these children endure is just beyond belief. Our world's young innocent children just don't deserve this much pain so early in life. They are forced to grow up way too early, with memories even a grown up should never have. One of the first things they told us is when the kids come to your house, whatever you do, do not grab their bag of “stuff”, if they are lucky enough to have “stuff”. Whatever is in that bag, to them, is their world. Consciously (or sub-consciously) they believe or know that wherever they are put is just temporary, and they don't want to leave anything behind. The first thing to do is offer them some food and drink, let them get comfortable, then show them around the house, and their room. Let them feel comfortable, and in their own time they will decide when it is time to put their stuff away. (You may need to provide a bigger or new bag every once in awhile.)

We were also shown some really interesting, if not heart wrenching, films. First and foremost we watched Oprah Winfrey's special, “Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse”, which aired on NBC, CBS & ABC in 1992. All I can say is WOW!! Just amazing what these children endured, and how it has effected their lives. For a synopsis of the special visit: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-09-03/features/9201190361_1_child-.... Then we saw a documentary about a native indian boy in Canada who had been separated from his parents and siblings and spent a lot of time in either really horrendous conditions, ie: one was a bedroom in a basement with an inch of water on the ground and only one light bulb, or running away and trying to get back to his siblings. He eventually committed suicide as a result of feeling alone, and disconnected from his people and his family. One take away from that documentary was to try to keep siblings together, and really understand the kids as much as possible.

This was an amazing learning experience, and though really hard to hear and watch all of it, we were both really thankful we had the opportunity to take the class. It also made our resolve even stronger to “rescue” at least one child from the traumatic start they have had in this world.

The only other big thing we had to take care of, (other than many more hours of training) is to get CPR/First Aid certified. We were not sure how to get this taken care of with childcare, etc. Then Mel got a great idea, we didn't have to take the classes together. So I scheduled one class, and the next week Mel took a class. Two nights for 4 hours each. A lot of really good information, and now we are both CPR and First Aid certified. Well for a year anyway. I think the First Aid certification is good for two years, but we'll have to renew our CPR certification annually. I took CPR years ago, and from what I can remember it has changed a lot. Much more straight forward. Got to love something that could save a life and actually makes sense so it's now easy to remember.

Well, that's enough training talk for now. I'll do another update very soon with some more up-to-date information. Stay tuned though, we could have a placement at any time.