Bri and Dru Tennant have been married for almost two years. They graduated STARS class in March in Columbia, Missouri – part of the inaugural class taught by Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries.
The young couple accepted their first placement before completing the class. Dru said they knew the children before starting the process of becoming licensed foster parents.
A few phone calls, and they ended up bringing two children into their home through a kinship placement. Kinship placements occur when children are taken care of by relatives or friends close to the family.
Bri and Dru have had the children in their home for about a month now. Dru said not every moment has been easy, but fostering is well worth the challenge.
“The challenging parts are what make it rewarding.”
Dru Tennant, Foster Parent
“There hasn’t been a single moment of our lives made easier by having children in the house,” Dru said. “I think that’s why I’m so much happier that they are here. They have forced me to improve myself as a person. Cooking for more than myself and my wife has made me choose healthier options. I don’t stay up late at night anymore; I get a full night’s sleep so I can be up whenever they wake up. The challenging parts are what make it rewarding.”
Bri and Dru were licensed through Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries Foster Care Services alongside seven other families. Dru said he was pleasantly surprised by how the process went.
“The class, filled with other reserved, soon-to-be foster parents, turned into laughter and jokes by the end of the day,” he said. “Much of it was because of the teachers who were ready to break through any awkward barriers that were brought on by the quietness of the class.”
The Tennants home is a little more full now, with two children and two pets running around. Dru said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Life is more complicated with kids, even more so when they are not your own,” he said. “But I will never feel bad about what I have chosen to do. It’s exhausting, it’s demanding, and it’s tough. I would never grow as a person if I did not choose to take on responsibilities this great. I am grateful for the Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries staff and all the work they did to help prepare us. They continue to support us by helping us get past speed bumps along the road. I love helping my community, and this is just one more way that I can show it.”
Interested in becoming a foster/adoptive parent? Click here.
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