A Love That Stayed

There are seven children that we are responsible for. What exactly does that mean? There are seven children that I consider mine and am responsible for making sure are cared for. One is off starting his adult life at college and working and there are still six living in our home. Four of our own and two that circumstances have placed with us. I do not want to go into a bunch of detail, but I tell people they are my nephews in a round about small town sort of way. I love and care for them just like my own. That being said though, we have had many ups and downs since they moved in with us.

I know the why of many of the behaviors we see and I know what we are supposed to do for a lot of it. We have taken foster care classes and are veteran parents, plus much of my professional experience is in child related fields as well. We are by no means experts as parents, but we do have a little knowledge about kids. However, it is not always easy, and we do not have all the answers. Parenting is hard. I read somewhere that parenting is only hard for parents that truly care, and sometimes I think I must care too much. I would not change it though.

I do not know for how long the boys will be with us, but my only goal is to give them a safe and stable home for as long as I am able. I aim to give them all the love and care and teach them all we can in the time they are with us. We have been particularly struggling with one of them sometimes, but he made a passing comment about me not having a book about him. It got me thinking and I came up with a story that was largely based on him and the behaviors we have been struggling with and how we have been handling it in the only way we know how. We try to reinforce daily that they are loved and part of this family.

I knew that our story was not unlike other families who have children that aren't biologically theirs that they are trying to take care of. After talking to him about it, I let him read it. and he told me he thought it could help other families. He loved the idea that his story could help other kids not living with their parents but other parents that are taking care of those kids. I was a little hesitant to share and publish it because it is BASED ON real life, but it is a fictional story with real world issues, especially for children in out of home care.

I don't know if this new book can help anyone, but it may be my new favorite that I have written so far. It has made two people cry, so that's interesting. The description is as follows:

"I’m sorry you feel that way. I love you though." For two giraffe brothers, life feels like it’s constantly shifting. But in the middle of the tall grass, a tiny Meercat Mama is teaching them something new: that family isn't just about who you start with—it's about who stands by you through the storm. A beautiful tale of resilience and the quiet power of staying.

The title of this book is 'The Love That Stayed.' I hope that y'all are interested. I am aiming to get my books on Amazon too, but for now they can be purchased via Lulu like the others. There is a link on the books tab.