- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- iparenting adoption articles
- iparenting adoption q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
The Foster Mom Diaries
How Fate Changed
One Woman's Life By Teri Foreman
One Woman's Life
Day One"Sylvia* is having her children taken away by Children's Services Division (CSD)."
Sylvia is my niece, a young woman I barely know, who has a long and troubled past. I half expected a phone call like this since she gave birth to her first child six years ago. She spent most of her youth homeless or in foster care and had a penchant for choosing violent men.
My heart beat faster. "How many children does she have now?"
"Three," Mom answered. "David* is 6 now. Shiloh* is 2 and Susan* is 10 months. Oh honey, they're going into the foster care system. Your brother has been hiding them, but they are threatening him with jail, so he is handing them over today."
My brother is Sylvia's father and the children's grandfather.
I promised my mom I would talk to my husband and get back to her. I knew what she wanted. I didn't even have to ask. I saw David only once since he'd been born, and never met the other two. I didn't really have any obligation, did I?
My husband was in the shower. It took him three minutes to ask a few questions and tell me to call my brother and see what we could do about bringing them here. At that point we didn't know how long they might be here, why they were being taken away or if we would have to have contact with my niece, which he really didn't want. We have teenagers and had visions of some violent man knocking at our door looking for his child. (They all have different fathers.)
I spent the next few hours on the phone with my family and CSD. We made an appointment to get an emergency family certification the next day, but the children wouldn't be able to come to us for about four days. References had to be called, paperwork had to be filled out and background checks had to be run. I spoke to about four different people and began compiling a list of names and numbers. Over the next few days that list would become a thick file.