By Amanda Collins
classifieds@theenterprise.net

April Pendleton has been married to her husband, Jason for 21 years. They have two biological twins, Emma and Sam Pendleton, aged 13, and also adopted a now 20-month-old toddler.

The process to adoption began with fostering a youngster. Although the family has fostered a number of  children, April Pendleton said fostering to adopt has been a “whispering linger” for about 15 years. “We have had conversations with other foster parents, and about two years ago we crossed paths with foster parents. We have been fostering for two years now.”

One of the challenges of being a foster parent is “learning about trauma and how that trauma impacts children from in utero up until the point when they come into your care,” she said. “Removing the word ‘normal’ from your vocabulary” is the best advice for anyone interested in fostering children. “They have all been traumatized. What we consider ‘normal’ in our own home is nowhere near ‘normal’ for children coming into foster care,” Pendleton said.

Being a foster parent has its rewards, such as “knowing you’ve made a difference in a child’s life whether it’s for a week, month or year,” she said. “Sharing parenting with other parents that have made mistakes, helping them navigate and helping them realize you are not their enemy, you are there to help them.”

The Pendleton family has fostered six children during their two years of being foster parents. One child has been in their care since he was six months old, and they were able to adopt him.

For big brother and sister, Emma and Sam, they know that “hurt people will hurt people” and they both treat the foster children like they are their brother or sister, April Pendleton said. “Their eyes have been opened to the world around them and they understand why people may respond the way they do.”

The Pendleton family is currently fostering and are open to adopting at least one more child at one point, April Pendleton said.

Sharon Kimble, with the Patrick County Department of Social Services, said that Patrick County is in need of foster homes, and is in desperate need of families willing to work with teenagers.

“We have a lot of children that are in need of a family that can protect them and nurture them while they grow into adults. They need someone to give them a chance,” Kimble said.

The county currently has nine foster homes, with four newly approved ones, Kimble said.

If children are in need of foster care and there is no placement within the county for them, Kimble said the Department of Social Services will reach out to other localities to find a placement.

The length of time a youngster stays in a foster home varies, and can range from six month to even two years.

A pre-service training is required before a home can be a foster home, and tThere is a process for becoming a foster parent. For more information, call the Department of Social Services at (276) 694-3328.