Court

The foster babies have a court date on Friday. We were told that they were definitely going home, then no, then yes and now it is definitely a maybe. Yep, that is how foster care goes. I already requested respite care for our vacation in July "just in case".
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So, just in case they do go home I have to pack their stuff up. They have been in our home since September 1st so they have a lot of stuff.....everywhere. I also have to talk with Anthony and Larissa to let them know that the babies may be going home.
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This case has not been typical. I know that there is no way that the courts could get TPR on the parents so languishing in foster care is not good. However, I want them to go home to the best situation possible. But, on the other hand that baby is mighty attached to me. No one promised that foster care would be easy.
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So many people tell me that they couldn't do foster care because they would get too attached. I understand that. I truly do. But as adults we understand that foster parents are supposed to work for reunification. For me there is a bigger pain......that the baby doesn't understand. She is not old enough to know what is going on. In her mind I am mommy. When she leaves I worry that she will think that I have abandoned her. Will she look for me when they go out? Will she wonder where mommy is? Ohhh, that is my pain and it saddens me greatly.
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Friday morning you will find my husband and I sitting at court. What happens there will determine how the rest of our day goes. If the kids go home we will determine a time for us to have them and their stuff at DSS. We will pick up Anthony and Larissa from school and allow them to say their goodbyes. We will take the two car seats out of the car and put away all the baby stuff. We will constantly think that we are forgetting something every time we leave the house. Then we will wait for the next call.
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That is the life of a foster parent.