Opening your heart and home to someone in need can be both rewarding and challenging, especially when that person is a child, and you’re only able to show them love temporarily. In today’s episode, Jody Bump joins us and shares her experience as a foster mom. We hear about the good, the bad, and the life-changing moments that she’s endured throughout her journey.

[1:25] Jody introduces herself and shares what it is like to be a foster parent. “It felt lonely, and like no one wanted to hear my why.”

[5:30] Feeling like most people couldn’t understand her, Jody was forced to come to some pretty challenging realizations.

[7:58] “They came with a lot of trauma.” Jody tells us about her first few experiences with foster children placed in her home, and how she was able to meet their unique and challenging needs.

[11:00] We hear how Jody’s biological children reacted to having foster children in their home. “You could see it on their face.”

[12:30] “This is going to make us sound heartless.” Jody shares how her family came to a difficult decision about one foster child in particular.

[15:10] While navigating being a foster parent can be tough at times, the judgment from others has been consistent. “There’s a lot of comments that are not needed.”

[19:20] “We felt like we failed.” Choosing to end a placement is never an easy choice, and Jody explains why her family decided to do that in one challenging instance.

[22:20] If you know a foster parent, you absolutely need to hear Jody’s thoughts on what you should and shouldn’t say and do to love them well.