Last night on Nov 13 was a big step for my 4-year-old boy. He slept by himself in his own bed, in his own room for the very first time. This morning when I saw him, I asked him, “Did you sleep in your own bed last night?” He beamed with a big smile andContinue reading “Adoptive Dad 26: Step Towards Independence but Not Aloneness”
Category Archives: Foster Dad
Adoptive Dad 24: A Disturbing Adventure
I wanted to take my 2.5-year-old son on an adventure in Stanley Park, Vancouver to find a big head, about the size of a person, carved out of a tree trunk. I showed a picture of it that I found online to my son. He immediately got excited. I asked him if he wanted toContinue reading “Adoptive Dad 24: A Disturbing Adventure”
Adoptive Dad 23: But I’m Not Like You
Dear Josiah, My little Jai Jai, adoption is something that is still not understood very well these days. Adoption is not common. So, one day when you go to school, some of your schoolmates or friends might ask you questions that could bother you. They aren’t being mean. They just don’t understand. Some of yourContinue reading “Adoptive Dad 23: But I’m Not Like You”
Adoptive Dad 22: Power of Permanency
Exactly a month ago, we adopted our little foster son after raising him for 2 years and 20 days! It took some time for me to process over for what the legal conclusion of adopting our son meant to us. The weightiest factor that sunk in was that we couldn’t lose him anymore. For theContinue reading “Adoptive Dad 22: Power of Permanency”
Foster Dad 21: Want the World to Know
Dear Peanut, Two years ago on this day, July 30, you came into our lives and a new story began. You are now two years and ten days old. It started with a call from our foster agency that told us there was a little boy in the hospital looking for a loving mom andContinue reading “Foster Dad 21: Want the World to Know”
Foster Dad 20: You Don’t Have to Be Here
The child attorney told us, “You don’t have to be here,” a statement that echoed what all the other attorneys, FFA social workers, and DCFS social workers told us, that we don’t need to be present at the court hearings regarding our foster child. Our current DCFS social worker repeatedly reiterated to us that fosterContinue reading “Foster Dad 20: You Don’t Have to Be Here”
Foster Dad 19: Emotional Capacity
I hadn’t written about my journey as a foster father in a while, and the thought of getting back into it after so long felt daunting. It had to do with my emotional capacity. After my first foster son reunified with his birth mother, there was more for me to process than I expected. MyContinue reading “Foster Dad 19: Emotional Capacity”
Foster Dad 18: Among Fosters
My wife and I appreciate the many praises we receive for being foster parents. People call us guardian angels of the two children we fostered. People say we’re amazing for doing what we do. They say they don’t know how we do it and we must have special hearts. They say we made an incredibleContinue reading “Foster Dad 18: Among Fosters”
Foster Dad 17: How My Foster Son Helps Me Be a Better Man
How we see ourselves in light of another is fascinating. Given what I know about where my foster son has come from, I look forward to what he can become. But when I look at my foster son’s face, I realize the things in myself that I wouldn’t want him to model after. When IContinue reading “Foster Dad 17: How My Foster Son Helps Me Be a Better Man”
Foster Dad 16: The Best Thing To Hear From The Parents
The parents of Lil Guy wrote something to my wife and I that we never expected to read, but was the best thing they could ever tell us. We’re about to visit Lil Guy this weekend for the second time, since we returned him to his parents over a month and half ago. This visitContinue reading “Foster Dad 16: The Best Thing To Hear From The Parents”
