Yesterday was a day DH and I have been waiting a little over 3 months for - but actually, several years for... we started our
PRIDE training to become Foster-to-Adopt parents! I just wanted to share my experiences with you all, especially to those who might be thinking of taking this journey or are getting ready to start this journey.
Our classes are on Saturdays, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, for 6 weeks. Looooong days, but crammed with good information. Yesterday was supposed to be session 1 and 2, but the questions ran so long, that we only covered session 1. So next week we will do 2, 3, & 4. Our trainer was actually quite funny, she really livened it up with her humor. I liked her, and think I will enjoy these next few weeks.
When we arrived in the morning, after we signed in, we had to find our assigned seat. She then had us count off 1-5, and then split us up (1s together, 2s together, etc.), which made sure all couples/families were in different groups). She then gave us all a big sheet of paper and a marker, and a story to read. The article was a
terrible story, and our job as a group was to write down and then present what should have been done differently. We only had about 10 minutes, but it really did get us all working together - and opened our eyes to what we could/will see.
After that, we took a break and then went back to our seats and we watched a video. We were told to take notes while watching it, and that the notes we take will go in our files... talk about nerve wracking! Everything we did, said, how we acted - they were watching us and keeping notes on us. The video was hard to watch (
skip this paragraph if you don't want to read what it was about - it is disturbing!). It was about three different types of abuse, and three different types of professionals handling the situations. The first part was about a little girl (voice only, for all the kids, thank goodness!!), whose dad lost his temper bad and was screaming at her (the camera) and then hauled off and smacked her hard. Then it showed the mother, who had been trying to get him to leave her alone, taking her to the hospital claiming that she hit her head on a door. Then it showed the wrong way and the right way for the nurse to handle cases like that. The second part was about a little boy (again, just the voice)who was bringing his mom a glass of wine (!!!), and he tripped and spilled it and the mom went berserk on him. Then the police officer came, and again showed the wrong way to handle it and the right way to handle it. Then the third was about another little girl whose mother was called in to work and was leaving her with her boyfriend. The pervert, I mean boyfriend, then commented on (as soon as mom left) how "beautiful" the little girl looked (I was really getting sick to my stomach), and how he wanted to play the game together again, to which the girl replied she didn't want to. Then he went on manipulating her and saying the whole "you better not tell, no one would believe you, etc." thing. Then the next day it showed the teacher and, of course, the wrong and right way to handle that situation.
We then went to lunch, over to Taco Bell, where another couple had also went. We sat together and talked, and they were very nice. Our trainer told us we needed to network, how important it is, and so we are glad that we got the chance to do so at lunch. After lunch, Trainer's supervisor came in and spoke with us for a while, and answered a lot of questions. We went over some materials she handed out, watched another video and had a discussion about it, and then we were assigned HOMEWORK. Yup, homework. We have some reading to do, an assignment to do together, and one to do on our own. We finished everything but the reading, and are halfway done with it. We plan to finish today. We both know ourselves, and if we wait until the week, we won't do it. Then, we were let go.
Basically, after the 6 weeks of training, we have the home study - which will take 1 - 2 months she said. Then, if we pass that we are licensed. So, it seems that the
earliest we will have a child placed with us will be May, but more than likely June. In the meantime, prior to the home study, we need to be fingerprinted ($100, of our own money) and Infant & Child CPR & First aid certified ($90-ish, also of our own money). I already am due to nursing school, but it expires in September, so I may as well go ahead and do it again with DH now. Oh, and we have to have a Fire Marshall ($150-ish, again our own money) come out and inspect our home. This is all things to do, and money to spend, in hopes we are approved and licensed. We can go through it all, spend it all, and not make the cut. But, it's for a good reason. If, God forbid, I had a child taken away from me, I'd want them with someone they fully checked out and in a home that was fully inspected.
So, that was my experience. 1 down, 5 more to go...
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Follow my journey to lose 135+ lbs
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No AF, PCOS, Hypothyroidism, Hyperandrogenism.
6 yrs TTC.
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We started the Foster-to-Adopt process!
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Informational Meeting: Completed 10/23/07
1st Background Check: Complete!
Pride Training Classes:
1/26/08 - Complete!
2/02/08 -
2/09/08 -
2/16/08 -
2/23/08 -
3/01/08 -
Finger printing/FBI Background Check:
Child/Infant CPR/First aid Certified:
Fire Marshall Home Inspection:
Homestudy:
Our 1st PRIDE class was yesterday! 
