{"id":2120,"date":"2014-05-15T11:48:37","date_gmt":"2014-05-15T15:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bfp.makingitsimple.net\/?p=2120"},"modified":"2014-05-15T11:48:37","modified_gmt":"2014-05-15T15:48:37","slug":"merritt-island-foster-mom-opens-home-to-teens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fpocf.org\/merritt-island-foster-mom-opens-home-to-teens\/","title":{"rendered":"Merritt Island Foster Mom Opens Home to Teens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"h1\"><strong>Foster Parent Spotlight: Shelley McKenzie<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"h2\"><strong>Merritt Island Foster Mom Opens Home to Teens<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin: 5px; width: 392px; height: 513px; float: left;\" src=\"https:\/\/fpocf.org\/images\/Shelley-McKenzie-and-Tyler.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>The idea of five teenagers in one house would seem daunting to even the bravest of parents. But for Shelley McKenzie, 55, it\u2019s a joy. Since becoming a foster parent in 2011, the Merritt Island mom has cared for nine children, most of them teenagers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen my husband Doug died in 2005, I got used to taking care of our two teenage sons myself. It was just the three of us,\u201d she explains, \u201cBut as they got older, they didn\u2019t need me as much. This big old house on two acres felt lonely. More importantly, I realized I had more love to give.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Shelley knew it wasn\u2019t a decision she should make on her own. She sat down with her sons, Tyler (20) and Travis (16), to discuss becoming a foster family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey <em>loved<\/em> the idea,\u201d she recalls. \u201cOur house has always been full of their friends, stopping by to hang out, swim, ride four wheelers and have dinner with us. It just felt natural to help kids in need by opening our home to a few more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Shelley joined the Devereux Foster Parent Program and took in a 15-year-old girl who was on her third foster placement and weary of the uncertainty in her life. It wasn\u2019t long before she felt like part of the family. At the encouragement of her caseworker, Shelley took legal guardianship of her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was a good girl who had been moved around a lot. I couldn\u2019t help but think she needed stability during this important time in her life,\u201d she explains. \u201cA teenage girl needs to know someone cares for her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, she has a forever family. And at 18, she\u2019s looking forward to graduation and hopes to attend Georgia Military College. She sets a good example for her three foster sisters, two 17-year-olds and one who is 15. Despite the stereotypes about teen girls, Shelley maintains they get along well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re too busy with schoolwork and their after school activities to fight,\u201d she jokes.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Shelley says one of the most challenging aspects of being a foster parent is keeping up with her kids\u2019 busy schedules. With two of the teens taking dual enrollment classes, one working after school and countless study groups, sports events and volunteer activities \u2013 transportation can be complicated. But fortunately, Shelley gets a helping hand from her mother.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s funny, because my mom had some worries about me being a foster parent in the beginning,\u201d she says. \u201cBut she has fallen in love with these kids and is now our biggest supporter. Besides giving the kids rides, she invites us over for dinner and we spend Christmas together. She loves them like I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shelley understands the hesitation some may feel about becoming a foster parent. In fact, she thought about it for years before she finally made the \u201cleap of faith.\u201d But now, when she thinks of the progress Raven has made or the way her foster daughters comforted her when her father died \u2013 she\u2019s so glad she gave it a try.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust try it. You can always change your mind, but you\u2019ll never know how wonderful foster parenting can be if you don\u2019t try,\u201d she says. \u201cThese kids are like any of us \u2013 they just want to be wanted. Go with your heart \u2026 you\u2019ll be so glad you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more information or to become a foster parent, call 1-855-LUV-KIDS (1-855-588-5437) or visit devereuxfl.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Foster Parent Spotlight: Shelley McKenzie Merritt Island Foster Mom Opens  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-articles","wpautop"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Merritt Island Foster Mom Opens Home to Teens - Family Partnerships of Central Florida<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fpocf.org\/merritt-island-foster-mom-opens-home-to-teens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Merritt Island Foster Mom Opens Home to Teens - 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