Fast-Tracked Kinship Foster Family

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A Caucasian mother and father with their two daughters, teenage son, and two babies. They are standing and smiling at the camera.

Ten weeks pregnant with my fourth high-risk pregnancy, I got the phone call.

“Hey, Honey."
"Hey, Dad, what's up?"
“Well, your brother’s baby was taken into custody by the state. Can you take the baby?”

What do you do?

For me and my husband, it was a no-brainer. No thinking involved. Our answer was, “Yes. What do we need to do?"

We were fast tracked as kinship foster parents. We went from a family of five to a family of seven overnight.

While it may not have been the easiest road, it has been one of the biggest blessings of our lives. Our babies are 8 months and 20 days apart, and they are the sweetest little things on earth!

While the process of becoming a foster parent is fairly simple, being a foster parent can be a roller coaster ride of emotions (especially while pregnant). I promise you every tear, every headache, every angry thought is worth it.

Would we do it again? ABSOLUTELY. In a heartbeat. Our experience with the Knoxville Department of Children's Services and especially our foster parent support worker was very positive. Once some of these little guys grow up we plan on opening up a nonkinship home.

If you would like to learn more about being a kinship caregiver in Tennessee, please visit https://www.tn.gov/dcs/program-areas/fca/relative-caregiver.html.

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