Zero to Three in Sixty Seconds

This story was previously published in Life in the Midwest Magazine in 2005.

0-3 in 60 seconds

by IzzyBeth

The van’s side door falls off, the Blazer’s muffler falls off, and due to extenuating circumstances, you find out you have to change jobs. This is what happened to me when my life changed forever and I went from 0-3 in sixty seconds.

My husband and I have been married for three years. We knew from the beginning that we couldn’t have children unless it was a huge miracle. Although we ALWAYS expect a miracle, we talked about fostering children and eventually adopting.

In May, I started investigating it fully and called the Division of Family and Children to see what we needed to do. They sent us a packet of information and told us to call and set up an appointment after we received it.

At our first appointment, I talked of how I have a heart for Hispanic children (due to my Spanish classes, my best friend’s bi-cultural daughter, and my trip to Costa Rica.) The family caseworker got very excited, and she told us that there were three white/Hispanic children who needed placement and were most likely adoptable. After drenching a few tissues . . . we asked what we needed to do.

Things went quickly after that – we had 4 weeks of Saturday classes, First Aid/CPR/Universal Precaution training, a TON of paperwork, 2 home visits and on August 14th, we had three beautiful children (under age 5) in our home. Life as we knew it, would never be the same. And we were ecstatic.

If you have ever considered being a foster parent, or you want to know how you can make a difference in someone’s life . . . call your local division of family and children. Investing in the life of a child is investing in your future.

They say that to be a foster parent, you have to be crazy . . . and it is true. Learning to take on other people’s children is a big challenge, but an even bigger blessing. Seeing big eyes looking up at you with so much trust and love gave me more reasons to be thankful than I ever imagined was possible. The van, blazer and job didn’t matter anymore, I was a Mommy.

For more information about becoming a foster parent - http://www.nfpainc.org/aboutFP/htb_fp.cfm.