One Child’s Story
Cathleen Bearse and her family had been open to the idea of fostering. What finally drove them to begin the process was a story they heard. A young woman shared her experience in care and reported that she been sexually abused in 2 out of the 3 foster homes she stayed with.
That was all we needed to hear to take action. We knew we could be a safe, loving family for a child who needed a safe place to land for a little while or forever.
Love at First Sight
It is easy to forgive the rollercoaster ride that a foster care adoption can bring because of love. Like most fosters, Cathleen and her family understood the goal of reunification. She tells us about the experience of adopting.
From the moment we laid eyes on our son we loved him. We wanted to be his forever home but we also wanted to love his bio mama as well. We knew that if she could some things in order, it would be best for him to be with her. Once it was clear that wasn’t able to happen, we felt all the feels, joy, heartache, celebration, guilt, worry, hope! Now that everything is final we are so relieved that we have our sweet boy but also keep in touch with his bio mom.
Their son legally was adopted on June 16th, 2020. With just a minor delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. The original date was pushed out because the local courts shut down two days before their first court date. Thankfully, love conquers all!
The Growing Love of a Family
It has been a life-changing experience for the entire family. We asked Cathleen about her thoughts on the process and she shared this with us.
The best experience through this process has been watching our older kids love on our son, and now his baby sister, whom we are also fostering. I have never been more proud to be their mom than I have as I have watched them make room in their home and their hearts for not one, but two sweet babes in need! They never hesitated before saying “yes” when we got the calls…they were all in just like we were!
Being a Foster Mom
There are so many beautiful reasons why people should consider being a foster mom. Cathleen explained how her family has grown beyond having a new son.
I feel like adopting through foster care has made our whole family more compassionate, and more attuned to the needs of others. As a foster and adoptive family, we have also been able to have amazing conversations with other families about what it’s like to foster and adopt – my brother and his wife actually just finished their foster care licensing classes, and that was a big surprise we are so overjoyed about! Above all, our lives have changed immeasurably for the better by having the gift of our son in our lives…we couldn’t imagine our family without him!
Some Solid Advice
Cathleen was kind enough to share some solid advice with us for those looking into adoption. She says,
I would tell people thinking about adoption to just take the first step. You can always decide it’s not for you, but what if it is for you? What if it is what’s best for your family? Whatever is holding you back right now, I’d encourage them to take just one more step forward and see how they feel after that. I would also encourage them that we can do hard things.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, we want to thank Cathleen and her family for opening up about their story and sharing what it’s like being a foster mom and parent. For those interested in adopting, check out our adoption calculated HERE for more insight on the different types of adoption and costs.
