For Southeast Texas foster couple, 14 makes a family

Posted: 10/26/07

For Southeast Texas foster
couple, 14 makes a family

By Jenny Pope

Buckner International

RANGE—At 7 a.m., the Forman residence looks like Grand Central Station. Teenagers of all ages and races—12 of them—race from room to room in search of backpacks, breakfast, clean laundry and medication. Kim Forman sits in a recliner in her living room and watches the chaos unfold.

“This is my chair,” she said while stroking the family’s two dogs on the back of their head. “I just stay out of the way until I’m needed.”

In the background, her husband, Bob, yells from one room to another, “I better hear that vacuum cleaner!”

Bob and Kim Forman raised their own family before they decided to foster.

The Orange foster family of 14 might seem chaotic to an onlooker, but it’s really a well-organized machine. With 10 bedrooms, 12 children, two dogs, and more than 15 loads of laundry a day, systems are more than necessary, Forman said.

“I’ll sometimes make as many as six trips a day to school and back,” he said. “But we love it. We’ll do anything for these kids.”

Kim and Bob Forman both quit their full-time jobs after raising their own family because they felt called to serve children as foster parents. The Bible mandates it, she said.

“James 1:27 tells us that pure and undefiled religion is to care for orphans. We do this for the Lord,” she said. “I know it seems unconventional, but we’re a family. We want the best for our children while they’re here, and we want to see them do well once they leave the house.”

One of their foster children, Clyde, looks ahead to high school graduation. After living with the Formans seven years, he considers them Mom and Dad.

“They’ve always believed in me,” he said, while pouring himself his morning cereal. “They’ve helped me keep my head up—told me I can do it. Even when I think I can’t, they tell me I can.”

The 18-year-old boy hopes to become a machinist one day, or maybe an inventor, he said. When he first came to the Formans, he thought he was mentally retarded because that’s what his parents had told him.

Bob Forman with former foster child Danny Allen, who still visits Formans’ house weekly for a home-cooked meal.

Watch Bob and Danny talk about Danny's foster family experience here.

“He worked hard,” Mrs. Forman said, “He’s got two jobs, and he can fix anything around the house. … I think it shows what some good encouragement can do.”

Kristy, 15, is another child living in the Forman home. When she first came to the Formans five years ago, she had terrible hygiene and was easily angered, throwing frequent temper tantrums.

“Now she’s our social butterfly,” Mrs. Forman said. “She’s a cheerleader, always on the phone. She’s overcoming some struggles with dyslexia. She’s just a normal teenage girl.”

“I’ve been through a lot with them,” Kristy said. “But I have more freedom and more love here than I did before. I like to talk to Ms. Kim and Mr. Bob. They sit and pray with me at night.”

Throughout the years, the Formans have fostered 60 children in their home, formerly a duplex now connected in the middle with a large family room. They typically care for teenagers, ages 12-19, anywhere from five to seven years.

Some of their foster children stay close even after they leave. Danny is one of those children. With an arm sleeve of tattoos and nickel-sized holes in his ears, “his looks can be deceiving,’ Mrs. Forman said. “He’s really easy to love.”

Danny, 21, works at a local auto body shop in Orange. He still comes back to the Formans’ house weekly for a good, home-cooked meal. Danny admits that when he came to the Formans, and even during his time with them, he was irresponsible. But he credits their caring, supportive relationship with helping him reach his goals—and come to know God.

“I wasn’t a normal teenager,” he said. “I was always getting into trouble. But Bob and Kim helped me have a relationship with God. A lot of people can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. Bob and Kim are different, you know? Their actions speak louder than words. You can’t fake love.”

Forman agreed. “Danny has a heart of gold,” he said, giving him a pat on the back “God’s grace is upon him.”

“There is no greater thing you can do in your life than help a child,” his wife added. “I just think that anyone who’s interested in doing this has to make sure it’s what God has called you to do. It’s a ministry.”