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Now Kalamazoo

That first year, Green estimates they gave 30 to 40 bicycles to Bethany for not only children, but also adults. In 2022 it was 92 bicycles; last year that number jumped to 123; and this year they anticipate donating 100 more.

Adoptive parents may experience anxiety when unusual behavior appears in their adopted adolescent child. But it’s common. As long as the journey is more forward than backward, you’re moving in the right direction.

There are no guarantees when raising children, and I've learned to let go of some of my expectations and love my children no matter what.

While you may be drawn to fostering to love a child, please realize some kids aren’t ready to be loved—not by a stranger.

Just because I work in foster care didn’t make it easier when strangers made comments to or about my family, but I found it helpful to have a ready response. Here are five I often used to diffuse an awkward or insensitive comment.

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Cafés are welcoming environments where people from all walks of life can connect. In Grand Rapids and Holland, Bethany Christian Services has established Parent Cafés where parents and caregivers can meet to learn and grow through supportive conversations.

Our kids saw foster care as exciting—Yay! A new brother or sister!—but they soon realized there was more to it than that. Our life as a family flipped upside down with each new placement, so we followed these guidelines to make sure our kids were not overwhelmed.

Talk honestly with your children about what foster care is and how having another child in your home will affect them.