"We see Mobberly is having foster care babysitting training, if we went, would that be helpful to you and Kevin?"
"I just saw your Facebook post about fostering!! Do y'all need a crib? You can have ours."
"What do you need?"
"Congrats on fostering! We have a stroller you can have."
"We made you food so you can freeze it before the kids come!"
These are all texts, Facebook messages, and conversations I had with different people. All of them providing so much encouragement to Kevin and I. We are blown away at the responses we've received from our friends and family.
Our incredible small group has rallied together and are getting certified to be babysitters. Let's just take a moment to sob happy tears! You may not realize this, but for foster parents, the only babysitters we can use must be certified. Yes, that means our friends can't help watch our kids unless they are certified babysitters. My mom can't watch our kids unless they are certified. The sweet neighbor lady who just wants to help can't watch our kids unless they are certified. It's a detail that's tricky and inconvenient, but makes sense.
Not only that, but our small group held a foster shower for us and other individuals have reached out to give us a crib, a stroller, baby clothes, books, toys, helpful advice, food... It's overwhelming to think that we have this community around us.
From the bottom of our hearts, Kevin and I thank every single person/couple who has supported us so far. I've tried to say it every time, but THANK YOU so much. We will never forget your generosity of time, money, and resources.
**For those wanting to help other foster parents in your area, here's an idea to think about! If you know a family who will be foster parents, definitely consider becoming a certified babysitter. Even if you aren't close to any families who are involved with foster care, consider becoming certified anyway. Once you are certified, you can be added to a list in the East Texas Orphan Care Network (ETOCN) or the one in your area (for those not in East Texas) and they can contact you if any of their foster parents are looking for a babysitter for the evening. Luckily for the East Texas people, you can be certified in a day by going to an event held by the ETOCN on February 9. You can find this event right here on Facebook!
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