First Contact

We attended our first STARS class last Tuesday, the first of nine we are required to take to become foster parents. All people who have helped raise us in some way over the past 25 years will be glad to know that at the completion of this class we will be considered 'Professional Parents,' as we are employed by the state and have been trained to parent. Expect this title to follow the signing of our names in any emails, notes or Christmas cards we may (my wife) or may not (me) send your way.

All joking aside, the class was as interesting as the first class could be. Awkward introductions, quirky instructors who asked you to write your name and something you were proud of on our name cards (gag). "Hi, I'm Jeff and I'm proud of my piano playing abilities." Who says that? When coming up with a list of qualities necessary to form a good discussion group (respect, etc.) our instructor mentioned spelling was not her strong suit as she wrote the first item on the board (commitment). For the second item I suggested spelling. I thought this was clever and also hilarious. I think Laura was thinking other things.

There is a wide variety of people in the class of about 11 looking to foster or adopt. All have different reasons. Some already have children and want to adopt more. Some have children and are unable to have more. Others are looking to start a family through adoption. Some are single, and some are couples, both same and opposite sex. Some are young and some are older. Towards the end of the 3-hour session, people were opening up a little bit more. It was encouraging because I think everyone felt a little unsure of what to expect. And everyone realized that we were all in this together. All learning and asking questions and trying to figure this thing out.