The foster parents we met in China loved the children in their care so much, taking such joy in showing them off to us that one could only smile with happiness. Or occasionally cry with laughter.
We had visited one mom's home, a woman who had recently been remarried. We found her inside with three of her dear friends and one very loved little boy. The other grandmas with her showed us with pride the homemade clothes they were quilting for the baby for the upcoming winter, and there were lots of smiles shared between us as we all oohed and aahed over how cute the little boy was.
Our foster care director, with ever an eye for detail, noticed that the apartment did not have a crib, and that is something we normally provide for every foster family. When asked, the mother smiled and said she didn't want a crib because her foster baby slept with her each night. "Oh," we asked, "does it bother your husband?"
"Yes it did," she answered. "In fact, he moved out. The baby kept him up all night by moving around."
In panic, we all started saying how sorry and worried we were for her, and how we never had wanted to cause her a problem with her marriage. To which the foster mom said with a huge smile on her face to our translator,
"Oh it's not a problem. I like the baby much more than I liked the husband."
Insert sound of four grandmas laughing hysterically here.
