Meet Our Families - Michael & Tiffany

Meet Michael and Tiffany! They have been foster parents for over 15 years! They have 5 children – 4 biological and 1 adopted through foster care. They just recently moved their 8-year-old foster son of 3 years to his adoptive family.

Beginnings
We wanted to be foster parents to help families in need. Michael is a teacher, and Tiffany is a social worker. We felt we had some skills and a support system that would allow us to be foster parents and assist families who were going through a difficult time.

Likes
The best part of fostering is seeing the progress the children make, whether it’s with their physical health, development, academic progress, or social skills. It’s fun to watch them grow and blossom into their own interests. We’ve also had biological family thank us for being kind to them and thank us for taking good care of their child and loving them well when they were unable to do so.

Challenges
Foster care is unpredictable and out of your control. You are at the mercy of the system and the courts; and most of the time when a child comes to your home, you have very limited information about them and their family. We have learned to focus on the things we can control – which is how well we love and care for the child in our home. We can do our part to make sure the child has their needs met and feels loved by our family and connected to our community.

Advice
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It’s also important to take care of yourself so that you can take care of others well. Finally, don’t be attached to your expectations, but rather be attached to the child. If you are sad and cry when a child leaves your home, that’s a sign that you loved and cared for them well. You did it right!