Mickey Mouse Helped Surprise Foster Kids Janielle And Elijah And Made Them The Happiest Kids In The Park

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July 22, 2017

Being a foster kid is never easy. Changing homes and "parents" several times in a few short years is not what any child wants or needs. Every child wants and deserves a forever home!

Unfortunately, that is not the reality for many of the displaced children around our country. On any given day in America, there are over 420,000 children in foster homes. The average length of time that a child is in care is for two years, but for some, it is unfortunately much much longer. 

Many people mistakenly assume that most children in foster care are babies or very young children. This, however, is not the case at all. The average age for children placed in the system is almost 9 years old. 

Sadly, many of these older children are unwanted when they do become eligible for adoption. They often end up phasing out of the system without finding that forever family. When people talk about adopting, it is is usually a baby that comes to mind. Adopting an older child comes with a very different set of expectations and challenges. 

Thankfully, there are families out there who have equipped themselves with the knowledge that they need to lovingly care for older children who come from undesirable circumstances. People like Tom and Courtney Gilmour who became foster parents several years ago. Courtney, being a foster kid herself, knew that she would one day be a foster parent. 

The Gilmour's had several children come in and leave their house over the years. They were often younger kids, but they were always willing to take on sibling groups, which not everybody is eager to do. Then Janielle and Elijah came to live with them and they bonded with them fairly quickly and knew if possible that they would adopt them.

The Gilmour's were already planning a trip to Disney World when three days prior they found out the date that they would officially become the siblings "parents". When they arrived at the park, one of the first things that they did was to fill out celebration buttons, on which you write what you are there to celebrate. Courtney tweeted a photo of the pins out to Walt Disney World, who in turn tweeted her back that they would like to help make their day as special as could be! 

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Next: Mickey Mouse Helped Surprise Foster Kids Janielle And Elijah And Made Them The Happiest Kids In The ParkDec 18, 2017