Instead of complaining, do something about it

So my last entry I was complaining about how someone can treat their kids so bad and yet not care about them.  Well long story short, the parental rights on the two kids had NOT been completely terminated (the Grandmother was trying to get her to sign her right away and she said she was going to).  Mrs. S had misunderstood.  Anyway, Friday morning the mom called to say she wanted her kids back.  After many, many months and her mother trying to get custody of the kids she's changed her mind.  She gave them less than 10 hours notice (they live 6 hours apart) to get the kids back to her.  The grandmother called DHS, but they say their hands are tied.  *sigh*  So Friday night those precious children were sent back to their mother and step-father who didn't want them in the first place.  How heart breaking.

So last week after my post and thinking about all the complaints I have about the way kids are treated in the foster care system, we've decided to do something about it!  I spoke with DHS last week and we are now in the process of becoming a foster/adopt home.  Who knows.  Maybe this is now we complete our family.  Maybe this is our way of giving back to kids who are not as fortunate as our son is.  Maybe this is a good learning experience for us all in compassion for others.  Regardless of what comes out of this I know that it will be a blessing for someone.  Probably for us.  Probably for the kids too.

What I dread is the possibility of a child coming into our home and we get attached and then they are taken away.  However, my Mom made a very good point.  She said that the one thing that we could hold tight to is that regardless of how long a child stays in our home, at least for that period of time they will know they are loved.  We will work VERY hard to make sure they DO know that they are loved and that they matter to someone.

Give them to me! I'll love them like my own!

That's what I wanted to say Friday when my son's new sitter told me about 2 children she is caring for during the day.  DH's job changed his hours up so now we need to have someone keep our son after school for a couple of hours until I can get off work.  So anyway I found out that a distant cousin (Ms. S) of my husband has been keeping kids and was looking to add another child to her home afterschool program.  I took our son by there Friday afternoon so he could meet her (he'd met her before but years ago so he didn't remember her) and so I could check things out and make sure we were ok for her to start picking him up on Monday.

Anyway, as we came in there was a lady and what I thought were her 2 kids about ready to leave for the day.  The lady was talking sternly to the little girl about how she acted at the babysitter's that day and making her say she was sorry for her actions.  After they left Ms. S began to explain to me the family situation.  The lady I saw was the grandmother.  The kids' parents were unfit and didn't care about the kids at all.  DHS had been called on them and they had signed their rights away because they didn't care anything about their kids.  The grandma got word of it and she stepped in and took the kids to keep DHS from taking them.  She was overwhelmed with them, but didn't want to see them to go to a foster home or be split up.  These babies were a 2 year old boy and a 4 year old girl.  I just couldn't take my eyes of them.  They were SO precious.  Then to find they had such a hard beginning and that they're grandmother was struggling to take care of them.....well all I could think was "give them to me!!!  I will love them and care for them just as I do my own son."  I wanted to scream, "Let me adopt them!  I'll make sure you get to be Grandma and make sure they have a good life."

The little boy just kept smiling at me and trying to say "hi".  He was SO precious.  The prettiest dark curly hair, dark complexion, and long eyelashes.  Reminded me so much of my son as a baby.  The little girl had the blondest hair and prettiest blue eyes.  Just precious, precious children.  Why would anyone not want them?!?!?!

I know it goes on all the time.  So called parents who don't care for their children and Grandparents who don't want to lose their grandkids, but can't care for them on their own.  Still it just broke my heart to see it happening right in front of me.

As much as I'd LOVE to give birth to our child (whether adopted or genetic), I would adopt 1 or 2 little ones in a heartbeat and never look back if given the opportunity.  I just pray that these kids will be ok and that God will bless this Grandma for what she's trying to do.