Beautiful moments fill our home because we became foster parents
When my husband and I first considered fostering, we saw it as an opportunity to open our home and share our love with children in need. We had always planned on having kids, but when our timeline didn't go as expected, we chose to take a different path — one that would forever change our lives and provide a loving home for two young children.
New to the fostering world, we turned to Anna's House Foundation for guidance. Our journey began in November 2023 with a simple phone call. The process required training, home evaluations and a whole bunch of paperwork. Without the help of Anna's House, I admit we couldn't have done it on our own; we would've gotten lost.
The agency broke everything down into manageable steps, provided personal guidance and ensured we understood everything we needed to know before fostering.
Just 60 days after starting the process, our home was officially open to foster children. It wasn't long before we received our first placement call — two siblings. The moment they arrived, our world shifted.
Every day since has been a journey of milestones and adjustments. From experiencing the baby's first steps to throwing our first birthday celebration — beautiful moments that filled our home with excitement and happiness. It was especially heartwarming to see our family and extended relatives open their hearts and shower the babies with love and attention in just a short amount of time.
More: Fall of Saigon, 50 years later: For one refugee, it was a dad's love, mom's sacrifice
Fostering has brought great joy, but it also has brought unexpected realities. Initially we believed the children would reunite with their biological parents down the road, many do. However, we later learned that the state had planned to terminate parental rights. We had to quickly adjust our hearts and minds to a new possibility of a forever family.
The support from Anna's House has been unwavering through every uncertainty and challenge. The staff was always available to answer questions, walk us through training and provide reassurance when the process felt overwhelming. If it weren't for them, we would have missed so many pieces.
Fostering is an ongoing, incredible journey. My hope is that more families open their hearts and homes to foster. For families interested in fostering, my advice is this: Work with an agency, go in with as few expectations as possible and hold everything with open hands. At the end of the day, your job is to love these kids and give them stability.
Lauren Graybill is a community volunteer and foster parent living in Edmond, Oklahoma.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Becoming foster parents filled our home with happiness | Opinion
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