Siblings

When my husband and I asked our kids their thoughts on doing foster care they were very excited and could hardly wait for a child to arrive.  I remember that they had the same reaction when we told them we were getting a puppy.   Now I am not saying that children are like dogs, but what I am saying is that the excitement of siblings does wear off.  I have come to realize that when that excitement wears off, that is exactly when we learn the true meaning of service.

Our oldest, Hannah, is almost sixteen.  She is the leader of my band of kids and she does her job well.  She is responsible and efficient, and it amazes me how much like my oldest sister she is.   Her “mother hen instinct” comes alive while trying to keep track of everyone when we are at the store.  I love to hear my sister tell stories about how SHE raised me, not my parents.  I think Hannah will have many of these same stories.  Grace is the second oldest, and as such, tries to leave most of the leading to Hannah.  She is a creative and intelligent fourteen year old.  I find myself marveling at her insight into life and God.  She is the heart of my kids as she is deeply attached to all of her siblings, especially the babies.  Matthew is eleven.  He is all boy, but thankfully with a sensitive side (since he was the lone boy with three sisters for so long, I think this was unavoidable).  He reminds me of his Father with his dry sense of humor that keeps us constantly laughing.  Isabelle is nine.  Everyone calls her Hannah’s “Mini Me”.  She is feisty and fearless.  When the other kids shrink back, she jumps forward and leads the way.  It has been amazing to watch her mothering instinct come alive as she helps with the little ones. 

I will never forget the day we brought our first foster son, Z, home.  Each of the kids gathered around him and they all wanted to be the one to hold and feed him (except Matt who was nervous around babies).  This went on for a few weeks, and I blissfully thought that this was going to be the norm (I should have remembered the puppy!)  Then it happened -- the day I stood holding a crying baby and no one came to help!  I fed the baby and then went to see where everyone was.  Hannah was writing a letter, Grace was knitting, and Matt and Belle were watching a movie.  I realized that Z’s newness had worn off and that life was back to normal.  They still loved him, but he had now become just another member of the family.  

This was when having a foster sibling became true service.