Three weeks after Kenna and Brady received their license to foster, they were waiting for a phone call to welcome a child into their home, so they decided to call Brittany, Hannibal Area Coordinator.
“She told us that there was actually a 5-year-old girl coming into care that day,” Kenna said. “That was a Thursday, and she was in our home on Friday.”
Three weeks later, Kenna and Brady also welcomed the 16-year-old sister of this child when she entered care. These sisters had never met before, but now they have been in the same home for nearly five months! Kenna shared that they have watched the 16-year-old become more comfortable around them, often initiating hanging out or going on walks together, while their now 6-year-old daughter is learning boundaries and overcoming night terrors.
This family went on vacation to Colorado for their daughter’s sixth birthday, using Memory Makers club funds! Kenna shared that it was very cool to spend time together and to witness their 16-year-old’s increased confidence.
“She didn’t think she could climb mountains, but then she did it!” Kenna said. “We hear her say that a lot now, I didn’t think I could do that, but then I did it.”
Kenna shared how difficult it is that there are some things you can’t fix for your children, but the Trust-Based Relational Intervention® principles that they learned in training have been really helpful.
“For the first few days [with a child in our home], I was so tired and confused, so I focused a lot on using TBRI® Connecting Principles. I made eye contact a lot, and I carried around a water bottle and snacks,” Kenna said. “In training, Brittany focused a lot on actual situations that we would face as foster parents, which was helpful because she was an actual foster parent.”
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