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Brady Bunch Without Boys': Calhouns see parts of God's plan for children
in foster care
 Foster
parents Ricky and Plura Calhoun say that while they contribute to only a
small part of each child's life, they draw strength from trusting that God
knows and cares for the overall plan.
The Calhouns became the first foster parents with the Children's Homes in
northeastern Alabama two and a half years ago. In that time, they've cared
for children with ages as old as 12 years.
Children's Homes social worker Debbie Buffaloe says the Calhouns have been
especially helpful in efforts to keep sibling groups together.
Ricky likened his and Plura's household at one time to "the Brady Bunch
without boys." He was the only male in the home with six females, including
three foster children who were sisters.
 "Children
can teach you patience," says Ricky, a preschool Sunday school teacher at
Westwood Baptist Church in Anniston. "At first when I started working with
children, I was trying to cater to their every whim. Now I've learned to
just get down in the floor and play with them. At early ages, they're kind
of timid at first, but they latch on quickly when they know they can depend
on you being there."
Plura fondly recalls one of hers and Ricky's foster children who was
especially affectionate. The little boy would tell Plura and Ricky "I love
you" at least 20 times a day.
"I saw a strong relationship between him and his birth mother," Plura
acknowledges. "She would tell him 'I love you' often when they would visit.
Though sometimes he would use 'I love you' as manipulation when he was in
our home, we missed hearing those words from him when he left."
After the Calhouns' daughter Magan was born 12 years ago, Ricky and Plura
tried unsuccessfully for a long time to have another child. Plura says, "It
was like God prevented us from having another child so he could get us into
foster care."
As their foster care ministry has grown, Plura and Ricky have found a
consistent source of support in Debbie. They call her their protection,
advocate, and carpooling buddy.
"One night at 10:30 p.m., I called Debbie at her home for help with a sick
child. She met us up at the hospital emergency room and stayed with us for a
long time," Plura recalls. "Debbie is great about letting me gripe, and she
holds me up when I'm crying. Ricky, Magan, and I really couldn't do foster
care on our own without Debbie." |
