COLORADO SPRINGS — On Father's Day, we spoke to several foster dads in the area to hear their perspectives on raising children.
"I feel like kids need dads," said foster dad Chris Curran. Curran has both biological and foster children and says the entire experience can be intimidating. "There isn't a manual".
Foster fathers can attest that the foster care system in our state can often be overwhelmed with children that need homes. Troy Beebe, a foster father himself, wanted to become a foster parent after hearing the story of one of those children.
"My wife got home from work that day and I said, 'You know what? There are kids in this town that need a safe place to stay, and we have space," said Beebe. "The day we finished our licensing, we're leaving, and we weren't even to the stop sign yet, and our phone was ringing to head to DHS to pick up our first placement".
Curran believes that he has a specific duty as a foster father: he doesn't want to take over as the child's biological father.
"For kids in foster care, they don't need a biological dad. That's not my job. That's not my job to be their dad. It's my job to do the dad things," he said.
He offers the best piece of advice for fathers in their area: lean on those around you and don't be afraid to take it slow.
"Pay attention to the little things. Don't just wait for the big things, pay attention to the little things because to them, the kids, they were always the big things," said Curran.
Hope and Home, the foster care organization that Curran and Beebe work through, is always looking for volunteers. You can learn more on their website.
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