According to the Children's Bureau, at the end of the 2009 fiscal year, there were 423,773 children in foster care in the United States, nearly half of them in non-relative foster homes. My name is Robbin Hatten, and my husband Dave and I are the parents in one of those homes. As we approach National Foster Care Month in May, I wanted to open a window into our home for anyone who's curious about what it means to be a foster parent.
Even when I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to adopt. I thought that opening my family to kids in need was one of the highest callings there is. I still do. Luckily, my husband agreed with me. In our time, we've fostered six kids en route to adoption and learned invaluable lessons from each of them.
From our first, Michael, we learned to appreciate the different perspective kids have. Even before we set eyes on him, Michael was a son to Dave and me, and a brother to our two daughters, Nichole and Rachel: We all already loved him. But to Michael, we were just another bunch of strangers who he thought would eventually reject him. It took a lot of time and love to get him to trust us, but now we are truly inseparable.
Our second, Brad, taught us that some things weren't meant to be. He was the beautiful baby we brought home from the hospital after his mother abandoned him while his father was in jail. We thought he'd be with us a long time, but six short weeks later, his father told us that Brad's grandparents wanted to adopt him. We still miss him.
Our third, Robert, taught us that some things were meant to be. He was born on my husband's father's birthday, and was named in his honor when he came into our family at 20 days old. I like to say he's "sprinkled with joydust" because he's one of the sweetest children there ever was.
Isaiah, our fourth, taught us that it's best to be open to the unexpected. Originally, my husband and I only fostered Caucasian or Hispanic children, so that no one would think of them as outsiders in our family. But then 7-month-old, African-American Isaiah came into our lives, and we learned that love can weather even the harshest of strangers' opinions. He's a joy to have, and a real blessing to us.
From our fifth, Maiya, we learned that doing the right thing can be hard. She was a 7-month-old African-American girl being fostered by a friend of ours. Even from a distance, I could recognize in her the same mistrust that Michael had experienced. Eventually, it got too hard for my friend and that's when Dave and I stepped in. We knew that it wouldn't be easy, but we couldn't sit back and let Maiya get lost in the system. Though it was a struggle, we're glad that we didn't let her go. She brings an indomitable energy to our house.
From our sixth, Skila, we learned that patience is a virtue. It took two long years to complete the paperwork that would make her part of our family, but it was worth every moment. I finally feel that we've found every child who was meant to be with us at this point in our lives.
Throughout our fostering experience, Olive Crest has supported us with their unfailing accessibility and in-depth training. This journey would have been indescribably harder without their guiding hand. With their help, our family has grown from four to nine, and our home has been enriched in infinite ways. They've helped us discover the necessity and the joy of being part of the foster care system; a system we want to be involved in for years to come.
Submitted by Robbin Hatten
Bellflower
Bellflower
My Mom is the most amazing woman! She was orphaned at birth and raised by her grandparents. She met my dad in 1945 and two weeks later they married. She raised four children and worked when it was not fashionable to do so. She retired at 65 from Rockwell after 30 years. Unfortunately, my Dad died that same year, so Mom went back to work (didn't want to be bored) and still works full time today at age 85 in the records department of an Arizona hospital. It's not uncommon for there to be a knock at my door and it be Mom, having just drove seven hours to see me, just because she misses me. We recently celebrated her 85th birthday. In this picture are her four children. First row, Linda Hodnett (me), Mom, Barbara Holdren, her youngest daughter Cheryle Miner. Back row: daughter Susan Rogers and son Chuck Holdren. My mom inspires me every single day of my life. She is the most wonderful, giving and funny mom I could ever imagine. She has 12 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild and never misses a birthday or any holidays. I love you, Mom!
When El Dorado Park was still a bean field, my mom and dad were original owners of our house on Monogram Avenue. The developer had promised metal street lamps, but when the workers came to install the lines, they brought ugly wooden poles. My mom and the other neighborhood ladies organized a protest. My mom, pregnant with me, sat herself on one of the wooden poles and defied the workers to make her move. The neighborhood ladies prevailed...the wooden poles were removed and the promised metal lamps appeared.This is my favorite picture of me and my mom, Elizabeth Eastman, taken on a camping trip to Yosemite when I was 2 years old. She has been gone since 1993, and I will forever miss seeing that look of love in her eyes.
Submitted by Nancy (Eastman) Schwartz
My favorite picture with my mom, Felicitas Gurrola, was taken on my third birthday. This will be the first time that Mother's Day has a different meaning for me. My mom passed away on March 25, and her presence will be felt in my heart. There are not enough words to express what she means to me. Throughout her life she was a hard-working person, a good wife and mother. She showed her love by making us her priority. I am so proud that God chose me to be her daughter. If she were here, again, I would tell her, "la quiero mucho", I love you so much. I feel blessed and thankful to have had such a loving mother. Mom, Happy Mother's Day in heaven!Submitted by Graciela Gurrola Huatuco
We celebrated my Grandma's 102nd birthday on April 4. Happy 102th Birthday Connie Cipriani. She is pictured with her children and their spouses.Peggy and Dan (son) Cipriani, Barbara and Joe (son) Cipriani, and Vera (daughter) and Bob Bowman
Submitted by Caroline Luppino
I'm writing about an awesome mom! Even though my mother, Sara Jacobson, is practically "prehistoric" in age (sorry mom!), she is always up to try something new. Her we are sharing a maple BACON sundae at Denny's. The other day we shared a piece of apple pie with cheddar cheese on top. We spend most of our time together visiting both antique and thrift stores. She has passed a love of reading on to all her children and grandchildren and usually has an interesting new book to pass along as well. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit her artistic ability. She paints, sews and sculpts from clay, but many of her other children and grandchildren did.Hanging out with mom may not be good for my waistline, but it is definitely good for my soul! I love you Mom!
Submitted by Darin Romero
Our mommy takes us to a lot of fun places. We go to swim lessons, gym classes, camping, the nature center, and the dog beach. She works hard as a Long Beach teacher, and then comes home to play with us. We love the dinosaur cut-out sandwiches she makes and the silly stories she tells before bedtime. Happy Mother's Day Mom! We love you!
Love,
Matthew and Lily
Matthew and Lily
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