Before Paige and Mason began fostering, they already understood what an impact resource parents could make on a child’s life. Paige, who is a kindergarten teacher, had a student during the pandemic who attended Zoom class sessions in his pajamas, and seemed unable to sit still. The child couldn’t focus on the lesson because of background noise – people yelling and TV blaring. Soon the child was placed in foster care and the difference was night and day, Paige recalls. “The foster mom contacted me and asked what she could do to support him, she would sit with him during class and high-five and cheer him on.” The boy improved greatly.
Paige asked Mason to attend an information session at Angels Foster Family Network and he agreed without hesitation. Growing up, Mason’s parents had housed and cared for pregnant teens and informally fostered relatives. He was accustomed to opening their family home to those in need.
The couple attended an Angels information session and, once approved, began the certification process. On Mason’s birthday, they got a call that a little girl needed a safe, loving home. They cancelled Mason’s birthday party and welcomed the toddler into their home. “We were like, OK, we’re doing this,” Paige says with a laugh. The child was reunified with her family a week later. What was surprising was how attached they grew in such a short time, Paige says. “It was stressful,” she recalls. Still, they decided that the pain of saying goodbye was worth it because they were helping a child and a family in crisis. “It didn’t scare me away,” Mason adds.
Then came “King,” a toddler who has been with Paige and Mason for nearly two years. Paige says, “Something about King, he just fits perfectly into our family,” most of whom live in San Diego. They say King’s favorite activities are going to the zoo, beach or museums in Balboa Park, especially the Fleet Science Center and the San Diego Natural History Museum. King is also enrolled in swim lessons, speech therapy and occupational therapy.
Paige says she knows she can call their Angels Clinical Case Manager anytime for support. Their case manager introduced them to play techniques designed to help children establish deeper connections with caregivers. “I truly don’t think we could have done this without Angels,” Paige says.
Most importantly, the couple considers fostering a 50-50 proposition. Each works a full-time job – Mason in construction inspection and Paige as a teacher – and say that fostering is another full-time job they share. “Watching Mason interact with King every day is such a joy,” says Paige. “He can be fun and silly, but he also feeds him, changes diapers, and shows him every day that he is safe. He always sticks it out and never loses his cool.”
“Fostering the hardest thing we’ve ever done, but the best thing we’ve ever done,” Mason says.
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