Being a foster parent is no easy task. Deciding to take in a child (or children) that has presumably been through a lot in their short life, you are filling the role of a parent that the child desperately needs.
That’s what foster mom and blogger Jamie experienced after she welcomed a foster child into her home, she began to truly understand the real meaning of the word “mommy.”
In a blog post that has been turned into a viral Facebook post on Love What Matters page, Jamie shared a story about the 2-year-old she had welcomed for a temporary stay. After she greeted the girl, who had been in foster care for five months in her two years of life, the other children in Jamie’s home filled in as a welcoming committee.
Jamie said that when she heard that word, her heart sank.
“She wanders around with the other kids for approximately 11 minutes before she runs into the room with a smile and says, ‘Look, mommy!’ to me,” she wrote. “The woman she met 11 minutes before.”
“It wasn’t just that she used the word mommy, it was that she ran up to me excited, with a huge smile, like I was her mommy,” she said. “I felt so sad for her that she could so easily fall into accepting the idea that I was the new ‘mommy.’”
To this little girl, who had been in five different homes in as many months, “mommy” was synonymous with the female adult of the house.
The foster mother was comforted and understandably blown away by the tiny girl’s words. It was such a true sign that the child finally felt safe and at home with Jamie and her family.
“She was only two years old, though, with a biological mom working hard to get her back and a foster mom willing to step in if she couldn’t. This little girl had the hope of learning that mommy isn’t just what you call a female who helps you, of forgetting that mommy could ever be just a name. This little girl would know what mommy meant. This little girl would have a mommy.”
Thank goodness for foster parents like Jamie who go out of their way to make sure their foster children feel loved and included. We’re so happy that the young girl found her forever home and someone to call “mommy”. This story is truly heartwarming.
Sources: AWM, Love What Matters
