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The Foster Mom Diaries

How Fate Changed
One Woman's Life

By Teri Foreman

We continue to structure his time and insist on a daily quiet period after lunch to calm him down. My son plays soccer and basketball with him every day in order to give him a physical outlet. One of the teens at our church volunteered to come over and play with him once a week so he can get some of the one-on-one attention he seems to so desperately need and give my own children a break. I spoke to his caseworker and the certifier, and it looks as if we may be able to get the funds to send him to a half-day camp at our local YMCA until school starts. This will help immensely. His time will be structured, and he'll be able to play with other kids while we get a much needed break. The physical activities will also help wear him out.

Perhaps the best thing about giving these children a home, besides their sticky sweet kisses and the knowledge that we are doing the right thing, is the experience this is giving my own teens. Compassion, child care experience and patience are only a few of the lessons they recieve. And maybe, just maybe, they're gaining a better appreciation of me as a mom.

Soon after the children moved in with us, my son watched me changing diapers, handing out snacks and the 101 other chores that come with being a mother to small children. He smiled.

"You're a great mom, you know that?" he said.

Like 16 years with me hadn't clued him in to that fact? I just smiled back.

"Thanks, hon," I said.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.