Foster Parenting Progress

Glenn and I worked our rumps off this week getting the house ready for our final homestudy prior to the DSS committee meeting. Looking back now, it hardly seemed worth it to have dusted the tops of all the baseboards/picture frames/dvds when our Case Worker only sat in the living room the whole 2.5 hours. (Yeah, I'm not really sure why I felt dusting our collection of DVDs would make us look like better foster parents, but oh well.) Glenn even took off on Thursday so that we would have plenty of time to do whatever we needed to. Basically, the meeting consisted of a bit of polite conversation before the CW went for our jugulars. The remaining hours were fun. Marriages and divorces, of which a certain spouse of mine has a plenty broke the ice. Family members with mental issues/addictions were next on the list. Any incidents of violence, neglect, and abuse were next in line. DUIs and other violations followed. All medical conditions were delved into next. And so on, and so on. It was similiar to a horror version of the old game show, but more violent and disturbing. The final word: my husband invoking TPR twentysome years ago and the use of antidepressants are not favored by the wonderous committee. Our CW told us not to hold our collective breaths. I responded by asking what else could I do to help us win over the committee. So, I am getting additional letters of recommendation, and medical statements attesting to mental health. She also asked for a picture of us and copies of all Glenn's divorce papers. But we shall see. When I told my fav sis of this disappointing outcome, she responded in her normal optomistic attitude with "Well, at least you can enjoy your clean house now.". Very helpful sis, very helpful. Anyways, now we have a month to wait before our CW goes to committee. So, that is the latest episode in our ongoing foster parenting saga. Luckily, there is enough chocolate and cookies in this house that we can make it through the weekend with. Off to eat some more cookies! Beth.