Meet our Families - Derwin & Maryjo

Meet Derwin and Maryjo! They have been married for 10 years and have been MCJFS foster parents for 3 years. They have 3 biological children under age 7, and currently have a toddler placed in their home.

Beginnings
We had thought about fostering “one day.” Maybe later, down the road, we’ll be in a better place with less going on. Then all these things started coming up and bringing it to our minds and we couldn’t get it to go away. We finally decided that the need is now and if we’re going to do it, why can’t we do it now. We became licensed during Covid, in the process of moving to a new home, with 2 little ones, and a 3^rd on the way. You just make it work!

Likes
I love when I pick our little girl up from daycare and she’s so happy to see me. That tells me that she’s bonded to us, and that’s so healthy for her. Watching our kids serve alongside us as a foster family is also really rewarding as a parent. They’re almost as passionate about it as we are, sometimes more. They are loving and giving and kind with the children placed in our home.

Challenges
The things that are out of your control. It comes with the foster parenting territory, but it can be hard having no control over some things. It’s important to be easygoing as a foster parent. You can’t be a control freak because it’s really not in your control.

Advice
If someone is thinking about becoming a foster parent, I would encourage them to come to an event, connect with a foster family, find out what it’s really like, and learn about real experiences.