On Anonymity, and Who We Are

With foster care, anonymity is of paramount importance.  If you figure out who I am, that is my fault, but please don't make it worse.  For the sake of anonymity, I live in Big City, attend My Shul and My Minyan1 and My Minyan2, work with The Agency, and so on.

Right now, it's just me, Foster Ima, in my home, along with six plants (but who's counting), all of which have names, but which will have to also remain anonymous.  I don't expect that too many tales will involve them.  Once I'm licensed, there will be kiddos.  Naming pattern to be decided upon when we get there.

My other family members--those who are most likely to make it into this blog--are:

• My Sister and My Nephew.  They live a plane ride away.  My Nephew is a compatible age to my potential kiddos.  Since this is a blog about frum fostering, it is relevant to say that they belong to a Reform synagogue.  My Sister doesn't really "get" my frumness.
  
• My Mom and My Dad.  An hour-plus away by car.  Not at all observant.  I grew up not celebrating any Jewish holidays.  

We're a pretty small clan, and my other relatives (My Grandma and My Grandpa (My Dad's parents), Paternal Aunt, Maternal Aunt, My Cousin) aren't too likely to make regular appearances.

B'ruchim ha-ba'im

Welcome!

I've created this blog to be a resource for other observant Jewish foster parents and those thinking of foster parenting. When I started poking around for frum foster parents on the web, I wasn't able to find any blogs or other resources. I don't claim to be an expert. Far from it. But I hope this lets others know that it is possible to be a foster parent--even in an urban area where 93% of the kids in care are African-American--and be more or less frum.

I have wanted to be a foster parent for pretty much all of my adult life. I have been pursuing licensure actively since September 2008, and strategizing the move to a suitable apartment for at least two years prior to that, so I have had plenty of time to ponder the various logistical issues that will arise in fostering as a result of my Jewish observance. My apartment has flaking lead paint which has stalled the licensing process for a number of months, so it will still be some time before I can post about real-world situations and their resolutions. In the meantime, I will post about some of the issues and my thoughts on them. Feel free to offer your own insights.