Our first foster care and adoption education class, called MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) classes was tonight. I was excited and nervous but I didn't know what to expect or who to expect.

The classes were being held at Children's Home Society's Raleigh Office and being run by two social workers. Both seemed very pleasant and one happened to be the very social worker we met at county DSS foster meeting.

The room had about 10 couples and a single woman. The group had young and old couples, couples of several races and a lesbian couple. We went over about the rules of the sessions, the schedules and what the goals were of the classes. We got big binders with worksheets (egads - homework) and were ready to roll.

One thing we learned more about was the process to get approved for adoption. They license you for foster care as well so you can get the children out of their other foster placement as quickly as possible. Also, there is something called 'legal risk' kids, which means their parents' legal rights have not been terminated yet but will be very soon. The agency has had no legal risk child ever be removed from a home they were placed in - in only one case they delayed placing the child with the family but did a few months later. So we felt better about what we were doing.

We heard some scary stuff, a lot about the high percentage of kids who've been sexually abused (which has a very wide range for the definition). I think some of this was to separate the wheat from the chafe and weed out the people who aren't serious because the room was full of people. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it is true but there were definitely some people in the room who had unrealistic thoughts about what these children had been through.

We met another couple that shared our sensabilities and we enjoyed chatting with them. I hate those meet and greet cheesy things, I hate icebreakers and trying to remember stuff about other people but we did meet the nice couple that way!

The MAPP book is a huge three ring binder and we went through the first part of it very quickly. We have homework to do before each meeting but too not much. Enough to make you think.

Five more classes to go!