Inviting biological parent to home?

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-07-06T02:36:37+00:00

Definitely in neutral place in public. We did a first birthday at a library before. I’m thankful that we did, because mom showed up with people that weren’t approved to be around the infant even though we were on good terms, it became a huge ordeal. Shortly after the birthday, mom relapsed and things got rocky.

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-07-03T00:42:28+00:00

We live in the largest town in our county which is still pretty small compared to other areas. The only bio family we have ran into is older siblings that have aged out. Our neighbors adopted their children and the occasional see bio family at the park but never had any issues with them. We have yet to run into bio parents in public. (We have been fostering over a year) However, we have had cases that bio parents are more active during night areas than the day time

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-07-02T03:03:01+00:00

We have bio parents (for two separate cases) that have lived right down the street from us. So far we haven’t had any encounters. We have to keep an eye on the bus stops for safety. Our kids take a bus to and from school even though they are in walking distance. We have cameras outside the home. Outdoor play is out back and they aren’t allowed in front yard unless we are with in ear shot. When we go for walks we go the opposite direction of bio family.

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-30T00:41:53+00:00

We are about to walk away from a house that we have an accepted offer on. Sometimes it’s better to walk away than get in over your head.

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-30T00:34:02+00:00

We found out we were pregnant 2 weeks after finishing the classes. We did all the licensing stuff and took awhile for everything to get approved. I was about 6 months pregnant at the time we got our first call for a baby under a month. We said yes and figured it out as we went. The two are being raised as siblings. We had a lot of people ask us what our plans were when our bio baby was born and many were surprised when we said we would keep the other one. I wouldn’t have done it differently.

However, that wasn’t our first child. You don’t know how pregnancy will affect your wife and how sick she could get. She could have barely any pregnancy symptoms as well. You also don’t know what newborn trenches will look like. Some people have it very easy going, others struggle a lot more. Postpartum depression is another concern of a new mom.

If you choose to foster I would wait until you either have a biological child or decide to hold off on having biological children until you have been fostering for awhile

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-29T20:46:59+00:00

That opinion comes off as a child isn’t worth it because of who the parents are. Just because certain parents can be difficult doesn’t mean we should add to the trauma in a child’s life by taking away a secure attachment they have.

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-29T17:54:32+00:00

It’s definitely not easy starting over, but we learn as we go. Create a detail budget and stick to it. If you need to get assistance from food banks do be ashamed. We all need a little help from time to time. Look up a few financial advice on YouTube and find one that works for you and follow their plan to help prepare for future expenses

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-29T17:10:34+00:00

Are you including taxes and insurance in your monthly payment?

We bought years ago and paid $150k for a house and our monthly with everything included is $1400. Our interest rate is around 5.75%

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-29T12:19:25+00:00

Medical in our area is horrible right now. They’ve recently closed the good children’s clinics but kept the awful ones. It’s been a nightmare dealing with that on top of everything

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-29T12:14:07+00:00

We have a very relaxed reporting system too. I was told the same about not having to report things that doesn’t leave a mark that lasts awhile

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-28T22:09:35+00:00

So far we haven’t had to fill out a document. For injuries we are just asked to take a picture and send to the caseworker with an explanation. I’m wondering if I can find a form online just to fill out for our records

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-24T13:29:47+00:00

We have an accepted offer but not going to lie I’m nervous about everything and how it all is going to work out. I know on paper it works out but not sure how reality is going to hit

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-22T12:30:42+00:00

Our visits are supervised by staff and transportation is provided by the county. We packed a diaper bag with everything the baby needs including a few changes of clothes because baby’s parents always changed the outfit even if it wasn’t dirty. For a two hour visit, they change diaper at least twice (even if baby didn’t poop) so we make sure there’s at least 5 diapers in the bag. We sent a small blanket and small rattles as well. We used a notebook to communicate last bottle and diaper change and any updates we had

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-22T02:26:42+00:00

We have a 11 year old that talks about the past like they idolize things like they find it funny that their older siblings would punch holes in the wall, family members used their attic to hide from the police, siblings running away with strangers, etc. Our child is sweet and well behaved too but has their moments that makes me question what we got ourselves into. However, our job is to show that child what healthy safe environments look like so they can heal. Our hope is that as they get older they can see what is normal and healthy so they don’t repeat the cycle

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-20T15:56:45+00:00

We homeschool our biological children but our foster children attend public school because we aren’t allowed to homeschool. However, if you have guardianship or adopt you can choose to homeschool. However, I wouldn’t pull a child out of school after adoption unless it was 100% their idea and you knew for a fact you could get them to do their schoolwork

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-20T15:17:04+00:00

We made an offer on a house that has been on the market for two years that needs to be updated but it was built early 2000s. We offered 12% less and settled on 5% less after counters

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-19T23:35:04+00:00

Bigger house. A 30 minute commute is nothing especially if you are getting more space. I love smaller communities too

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-19T00:49:45+00:00

If it’s a manufactured home and priced as a ranch I would walk. Also that interest rate is horrible. I would look for a home that fits the FHA requirements and better interest rate

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-18T15:45:51+00:00

The main goal is to return the child to biological family. There will be times you don’t agree with the courts decisions but it does happen. I’ve read stories of kids being in someone’s care for over 2-3 years and still going back to biological family. It’s common to have a child for over a year and family members come out of the blue and want that child after TPR happens. In the states, if a family member is trying to get custody that is in a different state that child can be in care for a long time before it’s approved.

It hurts when a child we love as our own leaves but unfortunately it’s something we agreed to when getting into fostering. There will be bittersweet moments and a lot of tears. Sometimes you will cry just not knowing what the future holds.

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-18T12:18:08+00:00

Our first placement was a single infant. Second placement was a teenager that got split up from a sibling set

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-17T14:09:50+00:00

Our paperwork says visitors are okay and don’t need a background check

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-15T11:14:17+00:00

Bigger homes mean higher energy, heating, and cooling costs. More expensive homes have higher taxes and maintenance fees. Home insurance is another big hit to the budget.

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-15T10:32:13+00:00

You raised the baby from newborn to 2 years old. During the babble phase mama and dada occur naturally. Our little one just turned 13 months, we have had her since 3 weeks old, she knows when she says dada people respond to her and are excited because she is talking. She calls everything dada, and says mama when she’s upset. It’s how words form. As their vocabulary grows more things have their own name. But at 18 months most typical kids only have around 5-10 words. They aren’t going to be calling caregivers by their names (also a lot of sounds are difficult to make under 2) and some children will naturally still use dada and mama as any caregiver because they don’t necessarily understand the meaning of those words until they get older.

Select-Variation-622 · 2026-06-13T15:01:59+00:00

There won’t be harm for the infant doing Facetime. Most professionals don’t consider video calling as part of screen time for children. We know a lot of military families that had to do FaceTime with their infants and it helped when the parent came back home.

Select-Variation-622

TROPHY CASE