Welcome back to Taylor Talks!
Yesterday, I wrote about the rapid speed in which sickness runs through my entire family when anyone gets sick. Today, I thought that I would tie that topic into an experience that our family had with a foster child just under two years ago.
Yesterday, I wrote about the rapid speed in which sickness runs through my entire family when anyone gets sick. Today, I thought that I would tie that topic into an experience that our family had with a foster child just under two years ago.
In February 2013, I went home from college for a long weekend. We had no school for President’s Weekend, and I was looking forward to some time off with my family. We had plans to go look at some RVs and decide which we would rent for our summer vacation a few months later. I had no idea that I would become a big sister again that weekend. As it turns out, my mom received the phone call to ask if we would take in a five-year-old boy. With the holiday weekend, there weren’t many foster families home and available to take in children. We didn’t really have a lot of room for another boy in our house, but we were told that it would just be a temporary placement for the weekend. My parents, of course, shifted some beds around and made room for this little boy to come stay with us.
This little boy made himself right at home in our house; he loved having my brothers to look up to, and my little sisters (who were three at the time) were fun to play with. We wondered if his placement would be longer than just the weekend, as many times a “temporary” placement has become longer in the past. We adjusted to having this little boy in our family, and took him right into the group. He came with us to look at RVs, and we wondered if he would be coming with us on vacation in the summer. He was such a sweet little boy, and we all really enjoyed having him around.
When my mom spoke with a caseworker, she was told that this little boy did not have any of his immunizations. This worried my mom; she had so many other kids to worry about, and it concerned her that this child was susceptible to diseases that she didn’t want in our home. She thought that she might have to tell the caseworker that we wouldn’t be able to keep this child for a longer time, because his mother claimed religious reasons for his not being vaccinated. There was nothing that we could do about it in this situation.
In the end, it turned out that this little boy had a family member who was willing to take him, so he only stayed with us for the long weekend. But I still wonder what would have happened if he was going to be put into the foster care system and we had to make that decision about whether or not he could stay with us. These are the kinds of situations you can face when doing foster care; it’s not easy.
I’d greatly appreciate it if you would share this blog with friends and family through your favorite social media sites. If you’re sharing on Twitter, don’t forget to tag me (@TayTayK02) and use the hashtag #TaylorTalks.
Thanks!
Taylor
This little boy made himself right at home in our house; he loved having my brothers to look up to, and my little sisters (who were three at the time) were fun to play with. We wondered if his placement would be longer than just the weekend, as many times a “temporary” placement has become longer in the past. We adjusted to having this little boy in our family, and took him right into the group. He came with us to look at RVs, and we wondered if he would be coming with us on vacation in the summer. He was such a sweet little boy, and we all really enjoyed having him around.
When my mom spoke with a caseworker, she was told that this little boy did not have any of his immunizations. This worried my mom; she had so many other kids to worry about, and it concerned her that this child was susceptible to diseases that she didn’t want in our home. She thought that she might have to tell the caseworker that we wouldn’t be able to keep this child for a longer time, because his mother claimed religious reasons for his not being vaccinated. There was nothing that we could do about it in this situation.
In the end, it turned out that this little boy had a family member who was willing to take him, so he only stayed with us for the long weekend. But I still wonder what would have happened if he was going to be put into the foster care system and we had to make that decision about whether or not he could stay with us. These are the kinds of situations you can face when doing foster care; it’s not easy.
I’d greatly appreciate it if you would share this blog with friends and family through your favorite social media sites. If you’re sharing on Twitter, don’t forget to tag me (@TayTayK02) and use the hashtag #TaylorTalks.
Thanks!
Taylor
RSS Feed
