Sep 11th, 2008
Letter to the foster parents
December 22, 2007
Dear Ken and Meg,
I feel that you are having a difficult time understanding the importance of Baby Bruce coming home to his biological family. I would like you to place yourself in our family’s shoes for just a moment as I explain what we have gone through to this point in his life.
Baby Bruce was born into a sad situation. His biological mother wanted to have an abortion and my nephew begged her to please have his child, hence we have little Baby Bruce. The day he was born he was placed in DCS’s care. Our family in Idaho was not notified. His father was under the impression from DCS; that when he was released from jail he would have 6 months to regain custody of his son Baby Bruce. That was not the case, he soon found out when Baby Bruce was about 3-4 months old that DCS was looking for an adoptive placement for his son.
His mother contacted our sister Marty at this time to see if she would be willing and able to adopt Baby Bruce. Marty and her family were extremely excited about having Baby Bruce in there home. She has 5 children and felt one more would be a wonderful addition. No one could have known Marty’s husband Michael would get ill with Brain tumors and cause it to where she felt it would be to difficult on her to have a spouse that will require 24 hour care and an infant in her home. It was at this time that I was asked to begin the paper work, for they could only check one family member at a time. Baby Bruce is now 6 months old.
I must go through the process and get accepted into foster parent classes. My background check had to be completed first. By now it is October and the classes are set to begin. In the mean time my daughter and I have painted, decorated and supplied his bedroom with all the things Baby Bruce will need. The Foster Parent / Relative Adoption classes take until November 17 to complete. I’m required to attend 30 hours of training over this time. Not only do I work fulltime, I still have a teenage daughter living at home and am flying out to visit Baby Bruce on my days off and attending classes twice a week to have him in our home.
We are assured by DCS that once the classes are over that baby Bruce will be placed in our care by Thanksgiving. My license is provided by November 17th, just in time for the holiday. We are than told about a hold up on the California side. Not once were we told that anyone was interested in our little nephew. We were assured that he would be placed in our care immediately following my completion of classes.
Our family in Idaho continues to be patient in hopes that this will soon be over and Baby Bruce will come home to soon. In the meantime I continue to fly out every weekend. I will even be missing our Christmas Eve get together in Idaho for the first time in 41 years so that I can be with Baby Bruce. My family in Idaho put it to vote and believe that Baby Bruce needs me more now than they do. He needs to know that we all love him and wish he was here for his first Christmas. We want to continue building his memories that will last a life time.
So know I ask that you place yourself in our shoes and reverse the situation. How would you feel if an outside party being a non relative attempted to take your nephew from you; his biological family? A family that has done everything asked of them to bring him home. You are his biological family! You have planned on his return to your loving care for the past several months. DCS has assured you that he will be with you soon. DCS has ruled in your favor and stated be patient he will be home with you in no time. We just need to go through this process. The laws are on your family’s side. We here at DCS support family reunification first and foremost. The only thing preventing you from moving forward and bringing your baby nephew home is a non relative Foster family placement.
I ask that you consider these things and clearly place baby Bruce’s needs above your own needs to want a child. He deserves to be with his family. There are many children out in this world just waiting for a loving home to adopt them. Baby Bruce is not one of these kids. He already has a loving biological family just waiting to bring him home. Please allow us to do what is right by Baby Bruce allow us to bring him home where he should have been a long time ago. We love him with all of our hearts and will never stop fighting for him. He is what is important!
lovingaunt