By Christine Marcotte | Communications
Thank you for your support! We are happy to share an update that we received from foster mother Yang MeiRong about welcoming a new child into their family.
I am a foster mother in Half the Sky’s Family Village program. My husband and I love children and love having a big family so we were excited when we learned that we would be welcoming a new child, a three-year-old little girl named YunDan.
On the day of her arrival, I waited anxiously in the yard. A car approached and I caught my first glimpse of her. She was scared and crying and when the caregiver handed her to me, her crying got even louder. This was all too new to her. I pulled out a toy I had brought for the occasion, placed it in her hand, kissed her face and said: “Let mom take you home.”
I carried her up to our apartment. The children were waiting for their new sister and when we walked in and YunDan saw the other children, she calmed down. She recognized our son ShunChu and our daughter XinLan because they’re in the same preschool class!
In the following days, we focused on YunDan and took things slowly as she adapted to her new environment. My husband and I took turns caring for her, so she would bond with both of us. We took her out to play games, taught her to eat with a spoon, and gradually introduced her to extended family members.
YunDan was very reserved at first. When we gathered for family game time, she always sat quietly and looked on, never participating. But one day, during a game of duck-duck-goose, she joined the circle. It was funny because when I placed the handkerchief on her head, rather than picking it up and chasing me around the circle, she picked it up and started walking back towards the apartment to go put it away. The children chased after her and we all laughed! This broke the ice and since then, YunDan has opened up more.
Three months have passed since YunDan’s arrival and now, when she comes home from preschool, she runs straight to me and says: “Mom, give me a hug!” We are bonding, and she understands she is part of our family. Finally, she knows she is home.
By Yang MeiRong, Family Village Foster Mother
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