Sometimes, you know immediately that something is meant to be. When Sara Cozad of Bellingham, Washington first saw this little boy, she knew that she was meant to be his mother.
Sara and her husband Stuart Shank met when they were 19, and they shared a need in life to be parents. As soon as they got back from their honeymoon, they immediately started getting trained to be foster parents.
Sara had wanted to be a foster mom to babies or toddlers because at 23, she did not think she had enough life experience for an older child.
“I was only 23 at the time, and the idea of fostering older kids and teens seemed unfathomable,” she said.
Right when Sara and Stuart got their foster parents license, they were asked to take in a three year-old for a weekend.
“That weekend turned into a week. And that week into months,” Sara said. “And those months into years. That little boy is our son, Michael.”
After Michael had been living with them for a few months, the couple agreed to a supervised visit with his older brother, Dayshawn. Sara was touched when she saw the two brothers reunited.
“The second Michael caught a glimpse of his brother from across the playground, he ran with all his might and jumped into his arms,” she recalled. “It was that second that Stuart and I looked at each other and we truly understood the importance of Dayshawn and Michael needing to be together.”
Though they were worried about taking in an older child, Sara and Stuart decided to take the leap of faith.
“There’s only a 13-year age difference between me and Dayshwan,” said Sara. “But the second I started talking to him, all my fears went out the window… Being his mom feels so natural. He doesn’t even seem to notice that I’m so young (or he just doesn’t care.) To him I’m just his mom.”
As the years went by, it became clear that Sara and Stuart weren’t just the boys’ foster parents: they were their forever parents. Dayshawn and Michael were overjoyed when the couple began the process of adopting them.
Now, Sara is trying to convince other people to become foster parents.
“We’ve fostered 14 children, some long term and some emergency placements,” she said. “People always say, ‘Oh, I could never be a foster parent. I would get too attached and it would hurt when they go home.’ And that’s true. It is hard. And I cry every single time a child leaves. But reunification can be a beautiful thing. We’re so lucky to have close relationships with many of the parents of our foster children. Our relationship with these children doesn’t have to end just because they return home.”
“Fostering is in no way easy, but I can guarantee it will be the most worthwhile thing you will ever do,” Sara concluded.
We wish this family the best of luck in the future! Check out Sara’s emotional adoption video below!
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