It has been so cool to watch Amber parent via the platform of social media and hear her burdens and heart behind foster care and adoption. I am so thankful for the time that she took to answer these questions, and I pray that they bless you as much as they blessed me!
Name:
Amber Reynolds
Age:
29
Marital Status:
My husband chris and I have been married for almost 8 years
How long have you been a foster family?
We became licensed foster parents in April of 2017
What led you to become a foster family?
Many things led us to foster care. The first being that I had friends in foster care when I was growing up. I knew what a healthy foster family looked like and loved seeing my friends reunified. I knew early on in life that foster care and/or adoption would be part of my story.
What does your support system look like?
We have a fantastic support team. First, I couldn’t do anything without my husband. He shoulders the burden with me and shows our children what a godly, hardworking, loving man looks like. Both of our families are extremely supportive and love each kid that comes into our home as their own grandkids/nieces/nephews. We also have a wonderful group of friends and church family that loves us well.
Is being a foster parent as hard as everyone says it is?
Yes. It’s the hardest ministry work I’ve ever been a part of.
What is one of the hardest moments you’ve experienced as a foster mom?
Not being trusted is hard. You have to earn the trust of everyone on the team: the kids, their parents, the case workers, supervisors, transporters, etc. We’ve been accused of abusing our foster kids and had to go through the whole process of being cleared several times. The lack of trust is a hard uphill climb.
What is one of your favorite parts of being a foster parent?
Hearing my 3 year old in the backseat singing “Jesus Jesus you make the darkness trample.” In the middle of the worst week of their case. It reminded me that the work we were doing was making an impact. Not just for our little guy but for the kingdom.
What is some advice that you would give to a family that wants to foster?
Just do it. If you’re interested, there’s a reason. Follow other foster parents on Instagram and get a feel for what it requires. But mostly, just jump in. If you’re interested, that’s a prompting from the Spirit to say a really hard yes.
What would you say to those families that are hesitant to get attached?
Great! That means that you’re already thinking about attachment. Kids in foster care need to be attached. It’s our goal to show them what healthy attachment can look like. If the fear is getting attached then handing kids back to their biological family...tough. We are grown ups. We can learn and process and grieve healthy. If our grief and pain made it possible for a child to heal, then we did our job.
If you would like to connect with Amber, you can find her on IG @itsamberreynolds.