Frustration

We had our fair share of frustration from our Foster Family Agency (FFA) before we had even become official foster parents. The worst happened on Jan. 15th, just 2 days before we got custody of Thing 1 and Thing 2. The Executive Director of the FFA came over himself and did the home study. We showed him around the house. His first comment--from the smell in here, you can tell you have a cat. The tour went downhill from there. We showed him the boys' room. We had been gifted a beautiful crib/toddler bed. We had also purchased a wood/wrought iron day bed, almost new condition with a trundle underneath. He was unimpressed. He said that kids, when put in daybeds, feel like they're not permanent. I argued that it was a solid, permanent piece of furniture, unlike the particle board pieces of junk I could have purchased at walmart that fall apart after three weeks. 

He also had an issue with our windows. Specifically, their lack of screens. Now, we live in a 70 year old rental home with huge rooms, a beautiful back yard, detached garage and a basement. The windows are typical of the period, with handles on the inside. To open, they swing outward. There is not a way to install screens--either the handles would be inaccessible or the windows would not be able to open. But this was a huge, hairy deal to him. 

I came up with a work around, screening material velcro'd to the insides of the windows. Easier said than done, since each bit of velcro has to be hot-glued or sewn to the screen as the adhesive isn't strong enough. Plus, the expense. Yet, our intake social worker called the following evening to ask if we had screened all the windows yet! I am still ticked off about that!