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115,000 U.S. Children Are in Foster Care, Waiting to be Adopted

September 5, 2013 by jlpenner 23 Comments

Have you every thought about Foster/Adoption?

I did.. before I was even married I was introduced to Foster/Adoption.. and it broke my heart.  I just could not imagine having that happen to you as a child.. to be removed from your home and having to wait until you could be adopted to have a stable environment.

Those thoughts were in the back of my mind for a long time, I never really acted on them or even talked about it to my husband or anyone.. but they were there.

My husband and I married young, I was barely 20 on our wedding day.  I had all these ideas about what my life was going to be like.. I would graduated college, teach for a couple years (I have a music education degree), then start having kids at around 25.  So I did graduate college, but by the time I graduated I had no intention of teaching, it just was not for me anymore.  Soon after that I was introduced to photography (and that started my photography career for 15 years).  A few year passed and I hit 25.. time for kids.. well, maybe not.. we were not ready.  And it continued that way and I came to realize that I did not want to have babies, but my husband realized he did.  So we spend a few more years discussing it and we were not coming to a conclusion.  I know marriage is about compromise, but wow.. this was a big issue, and I felt very strongly by this time that I was not meant to have children.

This is when the thoughts of Foster/Adoption came back to me, keep in mind that I had never mentioned this to my husband.  One day we were having another conversation about children and I just blurted out, “I have always thought about adopting an older child from foster care!!”  He looked at me like I had 2 heads and said, “you have?”  And this began our journey, at first he was not sure it was right for him but he continued to consider it and find out more information.  A couple years passed, as we were in the middle of a home remodel (that subsequently made us go broke after the losses of our two photography businesses) but eventually we got there and took the Adoption classes required by San Diego County.  It ended up taking us a year to get through the classes and paperwork (it does not take everyone this long).  We were finally ready.. and we waited.. a year.

Then the call came.  “We have an emergency placement we would like for you to consider.  There are two girls, 3 and 4, that will be coming on an airplane (they were located out of town due to their situation) next week.  You will not get to see them prior to picking them up and taking them home, and no we don’t have any photos.. you have 24 hours to decide..”

Me:  Uh, um, ok…

So I called my husband, his response was pretty much like mine.  So we spent the next 24 hours praying and thinking and decided to go for it.  The rest is mostly history, it has been two years (we just celebrated our anniversary recently) and we are mostly a normal family (but is any family normal?).  I will not tell you it was a piece of cake.. it was not.  I will not tell you that we fell in love immediately.. we did not.  But through it all we were 100% committed to our girls (and they are our girls!!).  The love came and it is beautiful.  In the end I truly believe that God took away any interest I might have in having babies.. because my girls were not suppose to come out of my tummy.

It does not take a special person to adopt.. it just takes 100% commitment and the willingness to love.

Do you have a heart for adoptions? There are so many ways to support children in foster care even if you are not in a position to adopt.  Frugal, Freebies and Deals has made a commitment to donate a portion of  our proceeds to the Dave Thomas Foundation, according to their site:

115,000 U.S. children are in foster care, waiting to be adopted. They have been removed from their homes as victims of child abuse, neglect or abandonment and are left without a family. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption works on behalf of these children, because we believe every child deserves a permanent home and loving family.

At FFD we believe that, too and that is why we want to support them.

Here are some ways you can get involved with Foster/Adoption:

::Adopt a child from your local (county) foster care organization
::Become a Foster Parent
::Volunteer to work with foster children in your area
::Donate to the Dave Thomas Foundation
::Have your Church support a National Adoption Day Event

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas about Foster/Adoption.  It’s definitely close to my heart.

You can read more about how affordable Foster/Adoption really is here

photo by Beki Dawn Photography

This Post Contains Affiliate Links - Disclosure Policy

Filed Under: Adoption

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Comments

  1. kevin says

    April 19, 2011 at 8:08 pm

    We also adopted (twice and working on our third). Our process with the classes took a long time, and the waiting to be matched took a long time. It took almost 5 years to get our son, but only 3 months to get our daughter. We were matched for our third, had him for 18 months and thought we were his forever family, when the judge decided to return him to his biological mother. We were again matched with an older child, but the foster family decided at the very last possible moment to change their minds and adopt him instead of letting us. Through all of the ups and downs, we haven't given up hope. Adopting is going to happen for us a third time, we're just not sure when.
    Reply
  2. frugal jen says

    April 19, 2011 at 10:38 pm

    Kevin, thanks so much for sharing!! It can be a long road.. jen
    Reply
  3. Sarah says

    January 4, 2012 at 9:54 am

    I love, love, love this! We are not able to go through the process because of chronic illness, but our hearts are SO for adoption and this has inspired me once again. I come from a huge family (I'm the last of 13 kids, have 60+ nieces and nephews) and FINALLY someone in our family is in the process of adopting. I watched the video below - that was BEAUTIFUL too. God bless you and your precious daughters!
    Reply
  4. Veronica Brocato says

    January 11, 2012 at 4:22 am

    I have just come across your blog through money saving mom e mails. I love your heart for fostering and adoption. I run a non profit called Voice for the Orphans in Wesley Chapel (that is just north of Tampa), Florida. I would love to somehow be able to connect. Thanks and hope to talk with you soon. Veronica
    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    May 6, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    I fostered a 16 year old girl, and decided to adopt. The adoption became final after her 18th birthday, but who cares she now has a permanent home. Fostering and adoption is great and yes you have to be committed 100%. Unfortunately, many do not want to deal with teenagers, but I love it. Right now I have (2) 18 year olds, (1) 17 year old and (1) 4 year old......lol....and I am a single parent. I hope many who read our blog look into fostering/adoption...
    Reply
  6. Jamie Martin says

    May 14, 2012 at 3:54 pm

    I needed to hear this today. Thanks.
    Reply
  7. Heather @ Family Friendly Frugality says

    June 4, 2012 at 11:52 am

    Wow, this is my first time reading this through. 24 hours to decide? I am in awe. Y'all are wonderful people. God knew you were the perfect family for those GORGEOUS girls.
    Reply
  8. womensfreebies says

    October 18, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    Hey !! The name is MINTA GOFF. Iam staying at Pueblo. This summer iam going to be 30. I have applied for distance learning at The Childish Prep School built at Carlisle. I have a job as Inn-keeper. I like Horse Riding. My daddy name is Neil and he is a Entrepreneur. My mummy is a Plasterer.
    Reply
  9. Becky says

    October 26, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    We adopted 3 beautiful girls from foster care. We went into it to adopt one we joke be careful what you pray for because God always knows what you needs before you pray. It is not an easy road we fostered two of the girls for two years being told we would get to adopt then the judge sent them home to the birth mom. About killed us but we knew God held us in the palm of His hands three months later they were back with baby sister a year later the judge ruled them our daughters forever. They were drug exposed so there are problems but God is bigger than any of those problems.
    Reply
  10. mildred lane says

    December 19, 2012 at 4:29 pm

    II was a foster parent after retiring from being a registered nurse for 38 years. At the age of 60,being single,good health, I was able to adopt my foster son who I had from the age of 6 days old. He is now 15 and the light of my life. I have 3 birth children and 2 grand kids. My adopted son has opened up so many doors for me when I should be rocking in my rocking chair I am going to card tournaments in different states w/ him. He is intelligent,very friendly,personality plus, and I am so proud of him.....
    Reply
  11. Janey Clark says

    December 20, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    Hi there, I was reading a link that was posted to my FB page, that brought me to this page and this post caught my eye! We also adopted from the foster program. We did not intend to, originally we were in a different program, but our journey led us to our two beautiful kids. I have always wanted a family, and originally we were prepared for a (under a year old) baby girl. Instead our journey led us to a two year boy and his 5 year old sister. They were legally ready to be adopted, so when they were placed we fostered with the intent to adopt, 6 months later we celebrated the finalization by going on a plane ride vacation, as they could not leave the state while in foster care. Over the years we have had our ups and downs, there has certainly been a lot of challenging days! I would not change it for the world. I cannot ever fathom our family being any different than what it is! This week we celebrated our 6th Forever Family day. We chose the day that we actually brought them home to celebrate.
    Reply
    • frugal jen says

      December 20, 2012 at 10:34 pm

      Thanks for sharing Janey!!
      Reply
  12. Michelle @womenwwin says

    December 21, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    CONGRATS on your adoption! I'm SO happy to see you use your blog as an avenue to raise awareness about adopting foster kids! Thanks for being honest that it isn't easy, too. Best of luck!!
    Reply
  13. gifts for men says

    January 2, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    Hi there friends, nice paragraph and pleasant urging commented here, I am truly enjoying by these.
    Reply
  14. Jordan says

    January 28, 2013 at 5:29 pm

    Hi there!! My husband and I have decided to adopt after a long road of infertility. I have always felt like adoption was the path we were supposed to take, but it took awhile to get my husband on board. So here we are. It's all so very overwhelming, and we have no idea where to start. We are a military family, and I have heard that foster systems don't like to place with military families, due to the frequent moves. Can you point us in the right direction of where to get started?
    Reply
    • frugal jen says

      January 29, 2013 at 8:04 am

      Hi Jordan, Congrats on starting your journey :). Different states are different. SO it is hard for me to know exactly where to point you. But I would start be calling your local government agency that handles state foster/adoption. The will probably have someone for you to talk to or some sort of "intro" class to answer questions. Good Luck!! jenetta
      Reply
  15. Sarah Barnes says

    January 31, 2013 at 6:37 pm

    Hi Frugal Jen! I came across your website on Pinterest. I was excited to read your story. My husband and I adopted our son as a baby a little over two years ago. We just moved to a new town and instantly got the process started on becoming foster parents with the intent to adopt! I know it won't be easy, but my husband and I knew before we ever met that adoption was an option we each wanted to entertain. Your family is an inspiration to us! Thanks for sharing! Sarah
    Reply
  16. Christina Andrews says

    September 5, 2013 at 3:34 pm

    We have adopted 4 times and are fostering a sibling set now and hoping to adopt #5 and #6 in the near future. We have been extremely blessed through foster care. I wish more people would consider it. It has truly changed our lives in all ways imaginable!
    Reply
  17. Jaime says

    September 5, 2013 at 8:05 pm

    We are in the process of adopting. We had been fostere parents for a little over a year and it had been a rough road. We decided to take a break to decide if we wanted to continue fostering. It had been over a month and after turning down several placement offers, the call came. It was a late afternoon in November. I had called into work because I was feeling bad and Steve had gotten called into work. My phone rang and I looked down. It was DHHR. I started to let it go to voicemail and thought what the heck Ill answer it. Little did I know the voice on the other end would change our lives forever. They had a placement, a newborn baby boy. Perfectly healthy. Mom didn't want him. She said this placement was 99.9% going to be permanent. I needed to call Steve. I couldnt get in touch with him!! She needed an answer. It was Friday the office was getting ready to close!! I had thirty minutes. What was I going to do? Do I make the decision without him? Do I turn it down? Were we really ready? Did we want this? Our oldest kids will be graduating in two years!! What do I do?!?!? All this things rattled my brain all in a matter of minutes. I was still not able to get in touch with Steve!!I prayed I prayed hard! I decided I will make the choice on my own. I called the worker back and took the placement. I was excited, scared, terrified, and confused all at once!!! No sooner than I hung up the phone Steve called back. Now to tell him the news. I had no clue how he would react."Hello" he replied "Is something wrong? I have 100 missed calls (I'm sure that was not an understatement) my reply "It's a boy!!!" Confused he was like WHAT? I told him what had happened and he just giggled. I knew God was watching over us. He helped me make the decision. Our little guy is now in the final stretch of this adoption. He is happy, funny, and perfect in every way. Everytime I see him smile, my heart skips a beat. I never knew I could love something so much that "wasnt mine", but I do. He has our heart and soul. He made our life complete.
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      September 7, 2013 at 11:20 am

      that is SO great!!
      Reply
  18. Megan M says

    December 28, 2013 at 8:13 pm

    We have been waiting to adopt for the last two years. Our county is extremely rural and does not have low risk placements. In the last year we have lost three adoptable placement to relatives. We are now trying to save for a private adoption but it is so hard. So happy you found your forever family.
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      December 28, 2013 at 8:34 pm

      Yeah.. every place is different. Waiting is hard :( We did wait for a year.
      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 115000 U.S. Children Are in Foster Care, Waiting to be Adopted … | Samantha Brown Biography says:
    April 21, 2011 at 2:44 am
    [...] Source: http://www.frugalfreebiesanddeals.com/2011/04/115000-u-s-children-are-in-foster-care-waiting-to-be-a... [...]
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