Carey Couple Signs Up for Foster Parenting Program

CAREY -- You don't have to be Spiderman, Superman, a firefighter or a
policeman to be a hero. Sometimes all you need to be is a devoted
person with tons of love, an unlimited amount of patience, a little
discipline, and usually a large house.

At least that's what Carey residents Craig and Betty Adamson are
discovering.

"We just want to try and do some good in the world," said Betty
Adamson.

The "good" the Adamson's are doing is foster parenting.

"We have seven kids of our own between the ages of 23 and 8. But we
felt like we still had more love to give," Betty said.

So the couple signed up for a state-funded foster parenting program
held in Burley. The program is called Pride Training, and it covers a
multitude of topics.

"We learned about everything from discipline to empathizing with kids
to learning how to deal with hyperactivity and behavioral problems,
and they even brought in police, a judge, an attorney, and a
prosecutor to demonstrate how they run a kid through the system,"
Craig said.

And with the meth epidemic on the rise in Idaho, there continues to
be a great need for foster parents.

"We learned that the ratio of meth houses to non-meth houses in the
Magic Valley is high and growing higher everyday," Craig said. "We
are also seeing crystal meth on the rise here in Blaine County."

Meth can be smoked, injected, snorted or swallowed. It is made from
common household products like antifreeze, lye, lantern oil, battery
acid and over-the-counter medications containing ephedrin.

The impact on the user and his/her family is devastating because
users are prone to out-of-control fits of rage, coupled with violence
and extreme paranoia. Long-term use of the drug leads to eventual
psychosis. And meth labs are popping-up all over the nation.

"Once a house has a meth lab in it, the house is contaminated. So
even if a person moves in after the criminals have left, the chemical
still effects you," Craig noted.

Receiving a foster parenting license isn't easy because a candidate
must endure a rigorous background check, along with four different
home-study programs and interviews with even the most remote
affiliates and/or friends.

And when social workers determine that a child is in need, the
response can be immediate.

"We had a social worker call us and ask if we wanted to take care of
a child," said Betty. "We told her yes, and she was here within the
hour."

But the Adamson's are just trying make a difference a little bit at a
time.

"There were 25 people in our pride training class in Burley," Craig
said.

"People from all walks of life -- lawyers, surgeons,
welders."

All of these people had one thing in common: concern for our nation's
most precious asset.

"The ultimate goal of the system is to find the children a safe place
to be, preferabbly with a relative," Betty said.

"But it can be hard to let a child go once we've gotten attached. So
we just believe in the lord and know that what we are doing will make
a difference in the world," Betty said.

"When we first talked about doing it, our older kids were a little
apprehensive. But now our daughter who is in college comes home to
see the little ones," Craig said.

"It's brought us a lot closer together as a family."