OH YOU GO GIRL!!! i'm so proud of you!!! i have a friend, single woman, who had taken three teen foster daughters, and now has adopted one, has guardianship of the other. It has not only blessed the girls beyond anything they could have imagined, but also has blessed her into a whole new woman!
____@____.com is her email and you can tell her i set you two up.
all of us here have worked with royal family kids' camps, and last year started a weekend camp for foster teens, teen reach adventure camps. depending on the ages of your kids and where you live, it might be worth it to see if those programs operate in your area. kids who are in the adoption process are often eligible!
if i had one piece of advcice, as a camp staffer and one who's watched the process, just know that they will be so very blessed by your commitment to them: they will not turn out the way you expect, but then birth kids don't either!! :)
so be encouraged.
i recently read a book called "The Unsayable" which dealt with the way this psychologist has learned to listen to children who are older and have been victims of huge trauma. It was a new book, so probably is available thru barnes and noble, etc. it was really helpful in giving me handles in listening not only to foster kids but also to the many adults around me who were abused and neglected. it's not a "fix" but it's really a helpful story.
C., you are making a difference, even on days you just want to whap them! Hang in there and know that one day at a time, you are doing something amazing.
