beginners

i don't think it automatically discounts you- they will probably ask you questions about how you dealt with it, are you still in contact with her, how do you handle it now, will she be around the children, what has it taught you about what kind of mother you would like to be. etc. be honest. not everyone who gets approved led a picture perfect life. it isn't as much about living a perfect life, as much as it is about how you handled/handle it.

You should be honest. They are not looking for perfect people. The fact that you have had a less than perfect childhood and worked through it and decided to be a better parent is an advantage, not a disadvantage. It shows that you are willing to work through difficult issues and willing to learn and grow. Those are all great qualities in a foster parent. On the form you can make a general statement without going into details. If they want to know more, they will ask during the interview. I stated on the form that my husband and I had been in counseling at one point. The CW asked me about it in the interview. I said "we hit a bump in the road during our marriage, decided to work through it in counseling and did." She was fine with that. That's fine - it is normal for couples to hit a bump. And a strength that we remained committed and found a constructive way to work through the problem. We are better foster parents for it. Good luck.

I didn't have the best relationship with my mother either. She sounds like your mother's twin. But I do respect her and the cw's saw this. Be honest but don't go into details.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!! I called today and they are mailing our application packet. So here we go.

So, have you recieved the application yet? I know it has only been a few days ...

We did....I have put it on the microwave and all of a sudden am afraid of doing it now!!! So I will look at it for a while. I will keep praying about it.

to the contrary it is better to have a few bad experiences in your past, it allows you to relate to the kids better. My wife and I don't socialize and refuse to be any part of her brothers life. My parents were once reported to DCFS for a bruise on my teen sisters face after she said something to him in a fight (not sure what it was but it must have been pretty bad because my father is a very pattient collected guy). Nothing came it beyond them having to go to fam therapy for a few weeks but it was still a mark on my history.

I told my LW that I had been in fostercare for half my childhood and my mother was abusive. He asked how my childhood effected the way I felt about parenting. I said "well, it showed me what kind of mother I DON'T want to be". He seemed fine with that and it didn't have any negative results. Just be honest. HTH.