Please read the Q&A below to learn more about their experience in foster care. It is very inspiring!
Why did you decide to become a foster family?
Robert’s sister-in-law was a foster child. She disclosed her life as a foster child to Robert and Robin, which was not good at the time. Robert and Robin decided that when they were able they would be foster children and make a better life for foster child(ren). When they started fostering they haven’t stopped. They felt that they couldn’t change the system but they could help a least in their own way by fostering a child at a time.
What’s your most memorable moment as a foster family?
There are a lot but the one that stands out in their minds is when a foster girl grew up and asked Robert to walk her down the aisle at her wedding and Robin made her wedding dress.
What is the best part of being a foster family?
The best part is the feeling that you made a difference in a child’s life.
How is your foster child a hero to you?
There have been many heroes in this home. One was a boy who came into the foster home very disconnected with people and his environment. He made no eye contact with anyone. He was very withdrawn and isolated. He spent a year and a half in their home. By the end of that time he would come home from school smiling, laughing, look people directly in the eye, and appeared happy to be alive. He became very sociable, open and connected to his environment. Robert and Robin have seen and experienced the work that this child went through to change. They saw the struggle he went through to reconnect with the world around him and it was amazing and unforgettable.
What would you tell another family who is considering becoming a foster family?
Robert and Robin would tell another family that it is the most challenging “job” anyone could get into but it is the most rewarding. Becoming a foster parent will teach you to become a better parent to your own children. A foster parent will learn to have a lot of patience, and force themselves to learn to laugh at the small things. Being a foster parent has been a very rewarding experience to Robert and Robin and this is why they continue to be foster parents.
