Here at A Family For Every Child, we love
receiving good news and stories from the community regarding foster care. It lets us know that we are doing our job and
reminds us of the good and humanity in others.
Today’s story comes from Coos Bay,
Oregon. This story does not begin on a
positive note as the first sentence is as follows, “A day before giving birth
to her son, Linn Thomas took her last hit of methamphetamine” (Richardson). Upon the birth of her child, Linn Thomas
discovered that she would not be able to take her baby home from the
hospital. This was due to her erratic
lifestyle and probable inability to raise a child safely.
Linn was devastated but motivated. She said, “I’m going to make the changes to
get my son back. Whatever it takes”
(qtd. in Richardson). And that is what
she did.
Ron and Leslie Barntses took the boy into
their home for foster care. During the
year he was in their care, the boy grew and learned while his mother did the
same. Leslie has helped Linn into
motherhood, teaching her everything from proper nutrition to bedtime
routines.
The Barntses have gone out of their way to
help this developing family. Even after
the foster time was over, Thomas’ son still spends time with the Barntses,
about four days a week. This also gives
Linn some time to learn from The Barntses hands on.
There are many different forms of
mentoring. Adult to youth, youth to you,
adult to adult. In this care, the
Barntses voluntarily taught Linn about being a mother, both by example and
hands on. Mentors provide a strong,
positive support for those in need, working to develop a strong sense of self-confidence
and knowledge.
Linn Thomas has remained sober for over
three years, completing several treatment programs to prove she is capable of
raising her son. With the ongoing help
from the Barntses, Linn feels confident in her abilities to raise a loving
family. “Thomas lives for the little
pleasures in life now and said her goal is to become the best mother she can
be” (Richardson).
On this most recent Mother’s Day, Linn’s
little boy looked at her during a bath and said, “Happy Mother’s Day. I love
you.” Linn couldn’t believe it, so she
asked the boy again and he repeated the same sentence without hesitation.
These are the stories that motivated us
and make our day brighter here at A Family For Every Child. We do our best every day to try to find
loving, permanent families for every child and stories like this fuel our work
and keep hope alive and well.
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