Almost Licensed!

Real Talk with EP: LICENSED!

The title says it all for this episode. One of us has made it over the finish line and here's how it feels!

Almost Licensed!

It's been a long time coming but there's still longer to wait. EP and Em chat through more nuances about the paperwork, training, home study and more questions involved with the licensing problem.

SIKE: Not Telling Family

We promised you an unscripted view into our fostering journey... well, here it is. Em planned on telling her extended family during their Thanksgiving get-together. How did it go? Tune in now because her story takes a curious and unplanned turn!

Telling Friends & Family

It feels like 'becoming a foster parent' is so different that you have to define it, announce it. You can feel nervous or overwhelmed at the thought of verbalizing your choice to become a foster parent.  Here's the first little glimpse of what it can be like to tell people you're fostering; you'll hear a little from each end of the spectrum, as EP and Em could not feel more differently on this topic.

EP's Home Study and Em's Post Placement Party Planning

Home studies [https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Adoption-Process/how-to-adopt/home-study-requirements.html] are completed for private adoption and public foster care. Each home study is different. Some are invasive, some are casual. EP had plenty of fears and anxieties going into her home study (that her husband didn't really share). At the same time, Em has been thinking about how she can celebrate the fact that she's becoming a mom. She's not pregnant, so that 'natural' ways like baby showers or celebratory dinners doesn't feel fitting. But we both feel it's important for Em's community to support and lift her up in the same way she does when one of her community members is pregnant and parenting. We think we have a solution and we want to normalize it! Resource Links * Find out more about Post-Placement Party Planning at fosterhoodunscripted.org [https://www.fosterhoodunscripted.com/challenge-page/5dab9e74-0c99-40c6-8fe3-d670de769162?programId=5dab9e74-0c99-40c6-8fe3-d670de769162] * Definitions: * Sibling sets [https://www.forothers.com/sibling-groups-in-foster-care/#:~:text=The%20Importance%20of%20Sibling%20Bonds&text=For%20children%20entering%20foster%20care,sense%20of%20continuity%20and%20identity.] * Emergency placement [https://www.fosteruskids.org/faq/what-is-an-emergency-placement] * TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) [https://www.findlaw.com/family/parental-rights-and-liability/termination-of-parental-rights.html]  * Food scarcity/insecurity [https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/food-insecurity]