TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Not all families are exactly conventional.
The Florida Department of Children and Families estimates there are more than 12,000 kids in licensed foster care. This Mother's Day, WTXL is highlighting the work foster mothers do to help Florida children who've been abused, abandoned, or simply don't have a parent to rely on.
"When you first get a foster placement, its like somebody bringing home a new baby and that it changes your life a lot overnight," said Melissa Kling, a local foster mother. "We got into it because we thought we wanted to to potential adopt and then going through the classes we saw their was a need for foster parents and it just really felt like God was calling us to do that."
Kling has three biological children, one little boy who was adopted out of foster care, and is currently caring for a foster child. Kling says, "I think her family is working real hard and the should be able get her back as soon as they can. That's always the plan generally for foster kids. Just have a safe place to stay while they're parents maybe get the help they need."
"Just giving those kids that stability it makes it worth it," adds Kling.
For more information on becoming a foster parent in Florida, click here.
