{"id":4593,"date":"2015-06-01T12:46:30","date_gmt":"2015-06-01T16:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bfp.makingitsimple.net\/?p=4593"},"modified":"2015-06-01T12:46:30","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T16:46:30","slug":"open-to-love-subia-lebedz-foster-parent-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fpocf.org\/open-to-love-subia-lebedz-foster-parent-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Open to Love: Subia-LeBedz Foster Parent Story"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Open to Love: <em>Foster Parents Use Past Experience to Build Warm, Caring Home<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-4596\" src=\"https:\/\/fpocf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/SubiaLeBedz-568x600.jpg\" alt=\"SubiaLeBedz\" width=\"375\" height=\"397\" \/>Tony Subia knows just how important it is for foster children to have a warm, stable home environment \u2026 and what happens when they don\u2019t. His father and grandfather were both in foster care as children, but didn\u2019t have a positive experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey didn\u2019t feel loved and accepted in their foster homes. I could see the negative effects it had on them as adults,\u201d Tony explains. \u201cThey just weren\u2019t open to love and closeness with their own families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With two generations of negative foster family experiences behind him, Tony was determined to make a difference in the lives of foster children. Serving as a foster parent in Connecticut and Florida for the past seven years, he has built a caring, supportive home for the children in his care \u2013 Julio and AJ. He has cared for the boys since they were 11 and three.<\/p>\n<p>When Tony\u2019s partner Addison LeBedz joined him as a licensed foster parent in 2014, the choice was also based on personal experience. Growing up, Addison was moved back and forth between his mother and his grandmother. He craved a safe, steady home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know what it\u2019s like to wish for that feeling of stability,\u201d Addison says. \u201cEven when times were good, it just my mother and me. I always wanted a large family, so having a house full of children brings me joy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As every parent knows, there are joyful moments that come with raising children \u2026 and then there are struggles. Some of the children in the Melbourne couple\u2019s care have had difficult behaviors and past trauma to work through. But the positive changes they see in the children make it all worthwhile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the best days of my life was when we finalized Julio\u2019s and AJ\u2019s adoption. It was such an inspiring event,\u201d remembers Tony. \u201dSeeing them grow as happy, healthy children \u2013 that has been the most rewarding part of being a foster parent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Addison agrees: \u201cWatching the children experience new things is so gratifying,\u201d he says. \u201cLike when I took two of the kids to the movies for the first time. They thought it was just the coolest thing!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For those considering foster parenting, Tony and Addison caution against pre-conceived notions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never know what direction a case will take,\u201d says Tony. \u201cAs foster parents, we\u2019ve learned to always keep the kids\u2019 best interest in mind, even if it\u2019s not what we might want. In the long run, you find happiness in their happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Open to Love: Foster Parents Use Past Experience to Build  [&#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-4593","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>Open to Love: Subia-LeBedz Foster Parent Story - 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\/open-to-love-subia-lebedz-foster-parent-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Open to Love: Subia-LeBedz Foster Parent Story - 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