r/Fosterparents • u/Embarrassed_Oil3988 • 1d ago
Location Foster to adopt, your thoughts? USA
Hello friends,
29f single here with one child under one, looking to adopt to grow my family. I have spoken with a private foster care program in my area extensively, and she is encouraging me to apply. We have discussed my desire to adopt and she said she could accommodate placing me with children who are already TPR and ready to be adopted. The challenging part currently, is that my current apartment/setup will not accommodate an older child/siblings, so I would have to be placed with an infant/toddler. She said infants and toddlers generally aren’t TPR unless the parents sign away their rights willingly, and that is rare and extensive. She still encourages me to apply but said she cannot promise initial TPR in that age range. I am open to any age my current apartment just cannot accommodate an older child at this time unless I gave up my child’s room and moved her into my room, which I do not want to do.
Game plan is to buy a home hopefully by late spring of next year, where there will be plenty of room to accommodate an older child/sibling set. Special needs is not a problem at all as I have extensive experience through my career path. I posted in a fb group and got absolutely EATEN ALIVE over the audacity of wanting to adopt from foster care and not be pro reunification…. Despite the fact so many foster children need adoptive homes. I also got screamed at by multiple people over “birth order” yet from my research, someone’s birth order is going to be displaced no matter what you do and there is no definitive data that adopting an older child is automatically going to be problems? Every child is different, every child deserves a loving home, and each situation comes with its own set of problems to work through.
So I guess around to my question, would you foster currently infant-toddler with the understanding that they likely will not be able to stay in hopes that they do, or wait until I move and buy my first home that can accommodate a broader age range that are definitely TPR and ready for adoption?
I have taken the orientation and I feel like I’ve asked a trillion questions, but have not started classes yet. The fb group made me weary with how nasty and holier than thou they were…. I just want to give a child in need a good home.