“Our Foster Child is Worthy”
Kira felt God calling her to foster care at a young age. She shared this desire with her high school sweetheart, but chose not to push the issue, knowing that if they were going to do it one day, they would both have to be all in. Fast forward a few years, the couple (now married), were driving when Nathan said, “hey, if you still want to be a foster parent, so do I.” Kira wasted no time and placed the call the very next day!
Stepping into foster care, Kira felt prepared to take on the challenges that lay ahead. But when she implemented the responses she had learned in training, to find they didn’t always work as a one-size-fits-all fix for a problem, she started to feel defeated. Knowing this reality is true for a lot of foster parents, she offers this encouragement, “Often these children have layers of trauma and things are just not going to get fixed right away. Progress may not look how you think, so just change your mindset. Keep trying your solutions, keep going to training and learning new ways to handle it, look for progress in a different way. Don’t give up!”
Sure, it can be hard. But the best part? Well, according to Kira it’s, “Watching her progress. Teaching her that she is worthy of the most basic things that we can take for granted. Watching her grow and feel secure in our home. My very favorite things of foster parenting are providing basic family structure and watching her thrive on it. Making breakfast in the morning. Picking clothes that fit her and that she likes to wear to school. Fixing her hair. Making dinner and eating together as a family. Playing a game in the evening. Reading stories, talking, laughing, hugging, tucking in blankets and stuffed animals, and praying at bedtime. For months our girl fought daily all of those things that I would consider normal. And now she loves them, asks for them, feels secure in them. She knows she is worthy of it. It is what she expects. I could go on and on about all of the ways our girl has grown and progressed, but watching her enjoy and love a family routine is truly my favorite.”
We can’t love that enough! Kira and her husband offered great wisdom to those considering fostering as well. They encourage single people and married couples alike to first and foremost pray about the decision. Then, remember to have a circle of support around you! It truly makes all the difference. Especially on the tough days, but also when there’s something to celebrate!
Kira says, “Through every single detail Anna’s House has supported us. We tell everyone we talk to about foster care that we couldn’t have made it without Anna’s House support, and we truly believe that. God was in the work when we chose this Foundation. Anna’s House has been there through our questions, every court hearing, helping us receive services for our child, checking in weekly to see how we are doing, answering the phone when we needed extra support, providing anything our child needs, advocating for us and our child, attending meetings and phone calls with DHS, hosting fun family events, great Christmas gifts for the child, offering support groups and training, and truly the list goes on. We are so thankful!”
We are so thankful for YOU, Kira and Nathan! Thank you for saying, “yes!” and thank you for loving your girl so well. You are making a huge difference.