TAMPA, Fla. — Katie Richesin has become a mom in a nontraditional, but extremely fulfilling way. She's in the Army and said for years, constraints in her profession held her back from taking the step into motherhood. But the desire to be a mom eventually won over, and when she looked into fostering, her world changed.
She certainly had to make a little room in her apartment.
“Well, you have to find space. There was a lot of reorganizing, and I continue to reorganize. Like now what am I going to do with this?" she said with a laugh, as she showed me the toys, the games, and even some second-hand love!
WATCH Heather Leigh's Full Report on Fostering in Tampa
“I was like, we need more stuffed toys — well, do I have an answer for you! My Beanie Baby collection is finally coming into excellent use," she said.
From one Millennial to another, I see you, Katie!
You can’t forget the animals, too. She showed me Sunny the hamster, Sunshine the chameleon, and Bella the dog. She said in December, the oldest said the only thing she wanted for Christmas was a dog — how could she say no?
“If one gets a pet, the other one wants a pet — so the dog is technically for the oldest, the chameleon is for the middle, and the hamster is for the youngest," she said.
She started her foster journey just a few months ago.
“I got the two girls in October, and one of the first things the oldest said to me was about her brother. I was like 'Oh, I had no idea you had a brother,'" she said. "Then as soon as she told me that I was like, 'Well, we obviously have to try and get you guys together.'”
She kept her word and brought their brother into the home by January.
“I was so elated! I was almost jumping for joy with them," she said.
To see the joy on their faces was immeasurable. They can also reconnect to their previous life, which Richesin believes helps in the healing process. She said the Children’s Home Network takes care of all the logistics, like getting started, getting licensed, and even navigating the complicated ins and outs of everyday life.
“They’ll go through a lot of very personal questions, and it’s good for you to also acknowledge, like yes, I’m willing to try a child with these types of issues or not," she said.
That can get challenging as you get to know the child, and they open up, Richesin said. It’s why there’s a team you can call for advice at any time. But she believes there’s a huge upside to that trust.
“When you get to that first moment where they say Mom, and they really mean it, you’re just like, your heart just explodes! You're like, okay, you finally see me now as that.”
Proof is in the pictures that hang on her walls, colored with crayons and markers, and a bear her three kids got for her on Mother’s Day.
If you're interested in becoming a foster parent, it's really needed. Right now, in Hillsborough County, the Children's Home Network has about 200 kids in group homes. The goal is to get as many of them into a more family-like setting as soon as possible. That's why they need more foster parents willing to take siblings like Richesin did.
"Your heart just explodes"
Katie Richesin said for years, constraints in her Army career held her back from taking the step into motherhood. But the desire to be a mom eventually won over, and when she looked into fostering, her world changed.
