Last Monday we opened our home to a twenty one month old little boy and his four day old sister. Being the home kids are placed in immediately after they are removed from their families is very surreal. It almost feels like you’re watching a movie. I can only start to imagine how traumatic it must be for the kids.

Little man is not yet two, his primary language is not English and he was the combination of sad and confused when he arrived. He clung to the case worker while the rest of the adults signed a stack of forms in triplicate. Fortunately our nine year old son is a master at making new kids feel welcome. I guess that they can tell that he means them no harm and so they connect with him in a moment.

Baby girl was taken from the hospital and brought directly to our house. She has never been with her family at all. They, other than mom, met her for the first time on Friday at their weekly two hour visit.

Both he and she are very sweet. He clearly is bonded with his family and has some difficulty at bed time. She is a new born and needs to be fed every three hours.

There is significantly more anxiety being an adoption motivated foster parent than there is being a foster parent. When you are adoption motivated you are concerned about the outcome for both you and the child in your care. Being straight foster removes my personal anxiety and allows me to completely care about the outcome for the child. What we need is not only more families who want to adopt and but more families who only want to foster as well. Because both are found in the Lord’s words in Mark chapter 9.

He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” – Mark 9:36-37 (NIV)

Ryan North

Ryan North is the Co-Founder of One Big Happy Home and creator of The Empowered Parent Podcast. He is a recognized expert on childhood trauma, a TBRI Practitioner, and develops training materials for parents, schools, churches, and child-placing agencies. Ryan is a sought-after speaker known for his engaging and practical approach to communicating complex issues clearly and relatable to a wide range of audiences.