Jimmy and Lauren Shepard have been been foster parents to Taylin since age 5, when she came to them after a troubled start through the foster program at DCCH Center for Children and Families.
The Shepherds initially thought they would simply be a foster placement home, and that Taylin would eventually return to her birth parents.
But that never happened.
Initially, Taylin spent weekends with her birth father with the hope that she would return to her birth parents when the time was right. It was during one of these visits that Taylin’s birth father told the Shepherds he hoped they would adopt Taylin should he be unable to get full custody of his daughter back.
Then the court made the heartbreaking decision for them.
While it was a blow to the hopes of a reunion between daughter and birth father, the decision was in young Taylin’s best interest, according to the court system. She settled into her new future with the growing Shepherd family; in December she became big sister to twins. With a passion for music, she’s learning how to play the trumpet, singing, and exploring art.
Taylin’s foster family can provide her with ample opportunities that otherwise would not be available to her, and that same fact goes for the 114,000 children in the U.S. awaiting their forever families.
If you are thinking about fostering or adopting, Jimmy offers this advice:
“Some people think they can’t foster because it will be too hard to say goodbye,” he said. “However, this is who the child needs – someone who loves them so much that the goodbyes are hard.”