The word “foster” itself means to encourage or promote the development of something or someone.  So, a foster parent is someone who literally aids and promotes the development of children who can’t stay with their parents.  The Rowland family of Paragould, Arkansas, one of 1,200 active foster homes in Arkansas, and one of 12 active homes in Greene County, take on the role of parenting every day.  Mike and Terry Rowland have been foster parents for seven years, and have had several foster children since then.  Over seven years ago, they decided God had called them to minster to children’s lives by taking them in and caring for their needs.  Over the course of seven years, the Rowland family has kept over 60 children anywhere from three to seventeen years of age.
The Rowland family has kept children from many diverse backgrounds.  Kids come into care because their parents can no longer adequately meet their children’s needs.  Several kids are taken into care due to causes related to substance abuse.  Mike and Terry shelter these children until they can be taken to another home, facility, or until the child’s parents are able to adequately provide for them.  This process can take anywhere from a few days to a year or more.  Mike and Terry guide the children through the process and try to provide as much encouragement as possible through the tough time that they may be going through.
Becoming a foster family requires a great deal of commitment and everyone in the household must be involved.  The children may not have been taught some vital life skills.  Foster families have to teach behavior, manners, importance of education, and several other things to these children they might not have been taught before.  When the children come into a home it’s a whole new world to them, so things take some getting used to. Most children feel as though they should protect their parents, so defense mechanisms are hard to overcome.   Many of the children have been through traumatizing situations and need a parental figure there to tell them that everything is okay.  Mike and Terry try their hardest to make the transition into a new home as easy as possible.
Becoming a foster parent is no easy task.  You have to be mentally and emotionally prepared to take on the challenge of bringing in children who may be emotionally and/or physically damaged.  There are also several obstacles you must pass to be eligible to take children into your home.  Thorough background checks are required for everyone in the home, several contracts must be signed, and your home must be able to safely and comfortably house the child or children.  No one in the home can have any diseases or health problems that may hinder proper care of the child in any way, because often children need a lot of attention.
Once you have become a foster parent, like the Rowland family, you must have 15 hours of furthered education on foster parenting a year.  While this may not sound like much, these hours are very hard to get.  Furthered education can be anything from seminars to educational programming. The Rowland family attends these seminars and programs several times throughout the year to become better educated to provide for foster children.
Once they get a child, no matter how long they may keep them, they have to make sure the child is properly clothed. This often means a trip to the store for clothes shopping.  They have to make sure the child has a place to sleep, and that the child only sleeps in a room with a child of his or her own gender. Several of the children are also prescribed several medications, which need to be properly dispersed and handled.  Even after all of those responsibilities, the toughest part of foster parenting is getting attached to the children, but as a foster family, Mike, Terry, and their two grandsons are happy to see the child moving on in life. The Rowland family definitely has a lot on their plate when they get a new child.  Parenting is no light load to take on. Mike and Terry truly believe they’ve been blessed with this opportunity to minister in children’s lives in this way.  They truly are a blessing to these children, and the children are blessings to them. The Rowland family truly strives to inspire, and be inspired by the children.