PRIDE Training

So we waited patiently for our training classes to begin.  During that few months, we started to imagine situations with kids.  We started to visualize every-day tasks such as grocery shopping with two boys.  We would discuss how we would handle temper tantrums and other scenarios.  I strongly suggest this to anyone thinking about adoption.  Not only does it help to prepare you to suddenly have older kids, but it also helps both you and your partner make sure you're on the same issue.

April came and it was finally time for class to start.  We weren't sure exactly what to expect.  The classes in Texas are call PRIDE.  They were every Saturday for about 6-8 hours and lasted 6 weeks (at least I think so).  We were in class with 6 other potential parents and the group was diverse.  There were some folks there for adoption only (like us), some for foster only, some whom already knew the kids they were adopting (family members) and some foster/adopt mix.  One couple dropped out after the first week.

We came into the class thinking that we had our paperwork done.  That was so far from true.  We were given a 4" binder with the class paperwork and a checklist of paperwork that we would need to assemble before the class was done.  The checklist was three pages long.  Every week we'd get a bit more done.  For example, we had to be fingerprinted for FBI background screens, take pictures of every room in our house, create a scrapbook of sorts for us (used as marketing material for yourself when it's time to be matched with kiddos), get pet vaccination certificates, etc etc etc.

The class itself was informative, but it mostly reaffirmed that Matt and I were really ready for this.  We had already discussed pretty much everything they presented.  They certainly don't hold any punches when trying to prepare you for the difficult situations that you will face.  We learned a lot about how sexual or physical abuse affects kids, how different kids are at different stages of development, how to be a bit empathetic toward the parents of these abused or neglected kids, etc.  Some days were more difficult to take in, but we muscled through it.  They assigned a lot of homework, too.

By the end of the last class, we had all of our paperwork handed in and we were ready for our home visit!  At least that's what we thought...