Family Matters
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Foster parents?
DH and I have thrown around the idea of becoming foster parents. We have a 3 bedroom home and no kids of our own yet. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with being foster parents, or any stories to share, to get a better feel for the commitment and expectations.
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Re: Foster parents?
My parents went through the process to get certified but never got a placement because of some health issues. They were open to having an older child with behavioral issues, which I think made things easier.
I would call your dept of social services and see if they can direct you to some good resources. Normally you have to go through a certification process which includes several weeks worth of classes, a home inspection, etc.
If you've never seen it, I love this website: http://www.heartgalleryofamerica.org/
I worked with foster kids for quite awhile and have friends who have adopted children from foster care. Its definitely challenging but if you guys are up to it, completely life changing and amazing.
My aunt and uncle are foster parents and I respect them a great deal for it. It can be an incredibly difficult thing to do if the children are emotionally traumatized. They've had foster kids threaten to kill them and be physically violent with them. They've had foster kids who had mental breakdowns and had to be moved to a children's facility. There are very detailed procedures for what to do in case any of this happens. Mostly, they've enjoyed being able to provide love for children who desperately need it, even if it's only for a little while.
One thing to keep in mind is it's a HUGE committment, so make sure you're prepared. My aunt and uncle can't leave their foster kids with family members or babysitters unless those people are certified by the state first. My mom and dad went through the certification so they could help with the current foster kids - 2 beautiful twin boys. Another thing is that you can get very easily attached to the kids, and most of the time it's kids who are moving in and out of the system (parents in jail/rehab, then another family member gets custody, back into system, etc.). So you have to be okay letting them go. It's tough and not everyone can do it.