In the foster care world, there is huge value in maintaining biological relationships. We all have an innate desire to know where we’ve come from and who we are connected to. That’s one reason why we place such an emphasis on keeping sibling groups together.
Two of our families in Moberly have created an amazing family dynamic because they realized the value of biological relationships. Amy and Daniel Linss have adopted two children out of foster care, and they have established a relationship with another foster and adoptive parent, Savannah Jennings, who adopted their children’s half brother.
They initially connected because Amy wanted to take Easter family photos with all three siblings.
“When we think about foster care, there’s a level of trauma that occurs from just being placed into foster care,” Amy shared. “So when you think about that, what can you keep as normal as possible in a child’s life? It’s very important to us to build up those sibling relationships so they can feel like they have a different kind of support throughout their lives. I think it is really vital to their success as they get older and as adults.”
Since then, Savannah, Dan, and Amy have made it a priority to give these siblings opportunities to see each other at least once a week. From meeting for a special treat like ice cream to going on family vacations together, these siblings’ bonds have grown exponentially.
“You can really see all three of the children interact,” Amy said. “[One of the brothers] will ask, ‘Where’s Bubba?’ Being able to see them go through life together and still have those sibling interactions even though they’re in separate homes [has been a highlight].”
Last year, the Linss family and the Jennings family went on a family vacation to the beach. This was the first time all but one of their children had seen the ocean, which was a very special memory for all three parents.
“Getting to watch those kids see the ocean for the first time was just such a neat experience,” Daniel said. “To see how excited they got and being able to share that with Savannah and her family was pretty neat.”
Savannah shared that it has been a huge blessing for her son to have a positive male role model in his life. Right after Father’s Day, they had Donuts with Dad at Savannah’s son’s summer school. Another friend was planning to go, but something came up at the last minute. With 15 minutes’ warning, Savannah asked Dan if he was available to attend.
“There was no hesitation,” Dan said. “Obviously I have no problem doing that. And I think he was extremely excited to have me there.”
“He talked about it for days,” Savannah said. “And that just meant a lot for me, and I know it meant a lot for him. Dan does so much as a father figure for [my son]; he’s always talking about how Dan’s going to teach him this or teach him that.”
What started out as a joint-effort to ensure their children remained connected has blossomed into a beautiful family dynamic.
“Savannah’s been another part and extention of our family,” Amy shared.
“It’s actually a lot more than what I expected,” Savannah echoed. “They’re family. We rely on each other.”
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