Foster Parents: The Toughest Job You Will Ever Love

Provided, Prince William County Government:

Foster parents often have a host of reasons for fostering, but in the end it comes down to helping children.

Linda and John Badie have been foster parents for about two years and recently adopted three of the children they once fostered, in addition to fostering 27 others. “We love kids, and we always keep a house full of kids,” John Badie said.

Linda Badie said that looking after the children and helping them through their trials is important. “It’s all about parenting the children.” 

Catherine L. Annand, a social worker with the Prince William County Department of Social Services, said foster parents are integral to the work the department does. “They take care of children with a wide range of ages and problems, and they do a great job. Family foster care is one of the ways children can stay in a safe, nurturing, family-like setting while their family gets services and counseling.” 

The department recently held its 35th annual Foster Care Parent Appreciation Dinner to recognize the work foster parents contribute to children in need of homes. The department hosts the dinner every May, which is National Foster Care Month. 

Robert and Raine Wilson, who have adopted one child and are currently fostering another, attended the dinner and said they started fostering in March of 2013. Robert Wilson, who grew up in foster care, said it was a “privilege and an honor” to be a foster parent and that it was something he and his wife thought they should do.

“We’re in a position to be able to provide for children who have gone through some of the issues I went through," he said.

Read more at pwcgov.org.