Better Late Than Never! pt.1
Wow....it's been a long time since the last post and I do sincerely apologize for the wait. Between work, Up Center classes and personal agendas, I haven't really found the time to breathe and regurgitate to this audience all that's been happening. So, at the title suggests, better late than never! Here we go....
Our last official Up Center class as foster parents to-be was this pat Saturday. wOooO! The class was titled 'CPI', and I still don't know what that stands for lol but, in general terms it was a course focused on behavioral management. We learned all sorts of skills in dealing with therapeutic foster children including non-violent avoidance and self-defense techniques. Sometimes kids get cray and you gotta know how to bob and weave, block and turn, duck and deflect...all that jazz. Keeping your cool and knowing how to Houdini your way out of a choke hold/hair pull/ flying fist/etc. is important because per Virginia law, you cannot physically restrain a foster child or apply corporal punishment. Not that we need to worry that every foster child will want to physically or verbally harm us, but better safe than sorry. When in doubt, 911 is always a great resource but only under dire circumstances.
So after learning all this material and practicing our moves, we took a test and received our CPI certification cards. yesssssss....
Two Saturdays prior to this CPI class I was required (because Zach is already a paramedic) to attend a CPR/First Aid certification course. Piece of cake. I saved all the dummies and then some ;)
Backing up ever further there was a class that was strictly about adoption. This class review will have to be a separate blog entry itself because there so much to tell and great amount of knowledge I'd really like to share...so stay tuned! ( I won't make you wait another month, promise!) And somewhere in the mix of all this we FINALLY got to see part 2 of 'Removed'. If you have yet to see the first part, you can view in my blog here. Part 2 was just as emotionally riveting and really plays to your sense of empathy. The makers of this film did an incredible job with this story line.... Take a look and get your tissues ready:
Our last official Up Center class as foster parents to-be was this pat Saturday. wOooO! The class was titled 'CPI', and I still don't know what that stands for lol but, in general terms it was a course focused on behavioral management. We learned all sorts of skills in dealing with therapeutic foster children including non-violent avoidance and self-defense techniques. Sometimes kids get cray and you gotta know how to bob and weave, block and turn, duck and deflect...all that jazz. Keeping your cool and knowing how to Houdini your way out of a choke hold/hair pull/ flying fist/etc. is important because per Virginia law, you cannot physically restrain a foster child or apply corporal punishment. Not that we need to worry that every foster child will want to physically or verbally harm us, but better safe than sorry. When in doubt, 911 is always a great resource but only under dire circumstances.
So after learning all this material and practicing our moves, we took a test and received our CPI certification cards. yesssssss....
Two Saturdays prior to this CPI class I was required (because Zach is already a paramedic) to attend a CPR/First Aid certification course. Piece of cake. I saved all the dummies and then some ;)
Backing up ever further there was a class that was strictly about adoption. This class review will have to be a separate blog entry itself because there so much to tell and great amount of knowledge I'd really like to share...so stay tuned! ( I won't make you wait another month, promise!) And somewhere in the mix of all this we FINALLY got to see part 2 of 'Removed'. If you have yet to see the first part, you can view in my blog here. Part 2 was just as emotionally riveting and really plays to your sense of empathy. The makers of this film did an incredible job with this story line.... Take a look and get your tissues ready:
More about the last few weeks in another post. Love you all!
xoxo,
Kearsten.
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