25 years of Fostering

     "They stayed involved in the childrens life long after their fostering job was done"

     25 years ago my parents started on a journey that would change the course of not only their lives but as well as their families. 25 years ago my parents decided to open their doors to children in need. Once they made the decision  to start taking in foster children, the agency delivers me :) I was only 2 years old and was coming from a bad situation. I was sent to their agency through another agency and this simple meant that at 2 years old I had already been taken from my bio mother and placed in a few foster homes.
     I can still remember-crazy as that sounds- when I first got there, I can remember standing in the kitchen after Susan had changed me out of my dirty cloths into a beautiful home made dress that belonged to her family. I remember being so happy to have such a pretty dress on, it had little bunnies all over it and it was my favourite colour-pink. Susan asked me if I would like to go outside and meet the rest of the family. I walked out the back door onto their deck and stared down at these 4 boys all filling up water balloons in a mini blue pool. I put the best smile I had on my face and nervously walked down the stairs to meet the boys. I don't even think I got a hello in before one of them through a water balloon at me (and it wasn't the one of the older boys). I went running back inside thinking to myself who are those crazy boys. Upon getting inside I was scooped up and cleaned up with more care than I ever had before, while learning my first lesson from Susan on boys being boys. I truly believe that from that day I was a part of their family.
    Unfortunately just after 6 months, I got settled in with this wonderful family, we got word that my bio mother had straighted out and I would moving back with her. But the demands of a small child was still too much for her, and she ended up failing me again and having me wind up back into foster care as quick as 2 months after leaving the Moores.
     You would think then that I would once again get lost in the system and just be another child being bounced from home to home always searching for my forever home, like so many foster children face. Nope not me, I was the 3 year old girl who won the lottery. The Moores soon found out that I had been dumped back into the system, and upon finding this out went out to the agency I was in and requested to have me back in their care. Then they came all the way down to get me and bring me back with them. My Father told me that when they first got there I was keeping my distance from them not too sure what to do, but then when they passed me a pink poodle stuffy, I looked right at him and said "I want to go home" and then leached myself onto his leg and was bound to never let go.
      My new family did everything they could to make their home my forever home, they went above and beyond to make sure that I became a Moore. It can be stressful going through an adoption case, they had to attend meeting, court dates, and still wake up every morning with me in their life but not knowing if they were going to end up having to give me up again. Finally once I was 4 years old I became a Moore and finally found my forever home.
     I might of been the first to call their home mine, but I was not the last. My parents continued to foster all through my life, we have seen every age of children coming from every kind of bad situations. My parents continued to show those kids the same love they showed me. Our home became known through the agency as the place were kids run away too. Every foster child that walked through our doors would say the same thing, this is my home, I will no longer run away.We became known as the family most requested by foster kids, everyone who had been with us wanted back and everyone who know anyone who had been with us wanted in. This is still in affect today, My parents are still fostering and will hopefully fill 30 years of helping children,  I am proud and honoured not only to be a part of their family but also for being the one to kick start of an amazing 25 years of care. I love my family and that includes every child that has stayed in our lives and became more than just a foster child, but became our family.
     If you ever want a way to impact the area you live in, It would be a wonderful idea to become a foster family. Over the years the number of foster homes are dropping compared to the number of children in care that is rising every year. These kids are not someone who is going to come into your home and mess up your family with their criminal acts, they are just kids that have lived through more of a tough life that you will ever understand. They are just kids trying to calm the storm in their life enough to grow up and live life like any other kid. They are just kids who if giving the chance will teach you more about life and help you grow into the best that you can be. Trust me I know, I see it in my parents eyes every time a new foster child comes to their home. There is nothing more amazing then being there for a child in need, and I am very grateful to have been lucky enough for them to have started that journey with me!