Adopting Through Foster Care: Jeena’s Story

Adopting through foster care is also the path in kinship adoption. A kinship adoption is the placement of a child with relatives, grandparents, or friends of the family. This is the route Jeena Wilder decided to go on. Jeena was already a busy mother of three but that didn’t stop her from adding one more to her family. Here is her kinship adoption story:

The Start of Adopting Through Foster Care

Jeena always knew that she was going to adopt one day and raise a child that wasn’t hers. Her husband’s mother, aunt, and grandmother were also adopted. In May 2017, Jeena’s daughter was incarcerated which gave them the opportunity to adopt their daughter’s child.

The experience has had its ups and downs for Jeena’s family. One of the unique parts about it was the bond they already shared with the child because the adoption was within their own family. Overall, the best experience “was seeing how easily my biological children accepted our adopted daughter. Our youngest daughter doesn’t even remember a time where our adopted daughter wasn’t in her life,” Jeena explained. On the other hand, a difficult aspect was the judgment by Jeena’s family members on how to parent because they still didn’t view them as her parents.

Advice to Those on This Path

With other families who are choosing this path, Jeena advises to make sure that both you and your partner are all in and are willing to fully commit. “There will be many days that are long and it seems like things will never be the same and your child may never be “normal” but with time, therapy, and lots of love you’ll see so much growth in your child, making all those hard days completely worth it.”

In Conclusion

In conclusion, we would like to thank Jeena and her family for sharing their story.

For those who are in the process of adopting through foster care, Foster Love - Together We Rise offers free adoption day photography through our Framing Forever program. Click here for more information!