May is National Foster Care Month, and today we’re sharing a foster care story from our Drew Pierson, a gay dad in Texas. Here is Drew’s story:
I started my foster-to-adopt journey back in 2009. Being a single gay man in Texas, and after first dealing with a “Christian” agency that licensed me but never placed a child with me, I was unsure that I was going to be able to foster or adopt.
Fortunately after interviewing multiple agencies, I found A World for Children in Dallas. Leslie took my call, and from the start I knew that this was going to be the agency that would help me realize my goal of being a parent. She was open-minded, helpful, joyful, and so full of love and support, and continues to be to this day, even years after I adopted.
My first placement was a sibling group of three children ages 2, 4 and 6. They were quite the handful, but I loved every minute of it. They were with me only a month, but it was just a few days after they left that I got the call for another sibling group of two boys ages 7 and 9. Both of those boys stayed with me for just a little under a year before going back to their parents. And I have the good fortune of still having contact with them, being able to see how they grow up. The oldest of the two plans on coming to live with me to go to college in the area.
After a two month break, I got the call for the two children that would eventually become my own through adoption. They were 4 and 6 at the time, and had been in multiple placements – through no fault of their own – in the short eight months they had been foster children. They came with a lot of fear, having dealt with a lot of rejection, and unsure of what was going to happen to them or where they were going to live next. The oldest of the two was ready to leave, having accepted she wouldn’t be staying, the youngest clung on for dear life. It was heartbreaking to see, but through a lot of love, attention, and reassurance they became more secure in their new home. After only a couple of months the parental rights were terminated, and the journey towards a permanent adoption started.
On May 7th, 2012 we went to the Family Court in Ft. Worth, and these two beautiful kids, Courtney and Cameron, officially become part of my family. It’s been a difficult journey at times, but the rewards and the unconditional love we share are worth every minute of it.
Drew Pierson