Amanda Craggs’ parenting experience began in February 2020 when she got a call from Child and Family Services asking if she would be willing to take two sisters as her first foster care placement. The pandemic had just hit, but Amanda, like all of us, could never have foreseen the challenges about to unfold around her. “I was placed with two little girls and two weeks later, everything shut down,” Amanda said.
The children, just two weeks and 5 years old, arrived with trauma and little else. Both girls had experienced severe neglect and the older of the two had also been a victim of abuse. Amanda, a business owner and single parent, grew into her mothering role at an unpredictable societal time during the pandemic, but she navigated the dramatic changes. “I never thought of myself as a stay-at-home mom,” she said. But she found the way, and successfully helped the girls grow and thrive. “I went about it by trying to look through the eyes of a child who has been through so much,” she said.
Looking back on her experience, Amanda said she witnessed firsthand how a peaceful and loving environment can change a child. It also opened her eyes to how many area children suffer from its absence. “The need is in our own neighborhood,” she said.
Amanda, like many foster parents, took steps to adopt the children placed in her care when it became clear that the girls’ biological parents would not be able to care for them. The sisters, now 2.5- and 8 years old, were officially adopted on Adoption Day- November 22, 2022. The courtroom was packed, not only with friends and family members, but with over 15 agency staff members who also came to celebrate the event and witness the happy ending that isn’t always guaranteed, but always hoped for, in this line of work.
Take a few moments and check out this inspiring video about this amazing family!