By Chris Kovatch

 

We have reentered the world of diapers, sippy cups, and nap times with the addition of our newest foster child. The funny thing is what a shock it is to encounter these things again. It is amazing how quickly you get acclimated to changes as your kids grow.

We celebrated the day when Stryker was successfully potty trained. I relished the fact that there would be no more debates on whose turn it was to change his diaper and looked forward to the instant boost to our income.

The day sippy cups left our lives was also a day the top rack of the dishwasher had room for regular glasses and we suddenly had extra storage space in our cabinets. It was also the day that I stopped wrestling with ensuring the sippy cups were all cleaned properly.

The boxes they came in all advertised their designs as being easy to clean, but I believe those claims were voided when a sippy cup of milk went ‘missing’ for a few days and then was found. It is very difficult to clean out curdled milk from the inside of a uniquely shaped sippy cup. Trust me. Sometimes it’s best just to throw them away.

Now the reduction of nap times from our daily routine is something I was sad to see leave. I was always willing to take one for the team and put the kiddos down for a nap. More often than not, I was also able to nap myself. I am always willing to help out with the kids, even when it means being forced to rest.

My goal was to be finished having children by the time I was 30. I was able to meet that goal as Thayer was born when I was 29.

However, I never considered the fact of adding kids through fostering and adoption. So here I sit at 37, changing diapers again and you know what? I wouldn’t change a thing. Should my wife be game, I would be willing to continue in this world of fostering as our own children get older.

The sad thing is that there are plenty of children out there who need a good home, even though sometimes it is for a short time. I like to think my skills at diaper changing or making a bottle were given to me so I could use them to help as many kids as possible. These skills come back like riding a bike. I count myself lucky to get to use them when I can.