BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Terrilyn Wilson is a mom, grandma and foster mom in Brooklyn Center. Since 2014, she's been fostering youth in her home.
"They're very smart!" said Terrilyn Wilson, talking about her foster youth. She currently has sisters, ages 12 and 8, living in her home. KARE 11 is not revealing the children's names or faces, to protect their identities, but Wilson shared about their personalities.
"They're constantly moving and dancing. They're very sweet and I enjoy having them here. I think they make me better," Wilson said.
She's been what she calls a "bonus parent" since 2014.
Wilson has two kids of her own and grandchildren. After her kids were grown, she felt the tug to open her home and heart to more. And she's skilled in helping kids through trauma.
"Parents not being parents for whatever reason or another. That could be drugs or getting in trouble. I don't know. I don't even focus on the moms. At first, I used to be kinda angry at the moms like, 'Ohh if I could get my hands on your mom.' you know? But that's worthless because these kids love their moms, so I've learned to just love their moms, too," Wilson said.
Wilson said a lot of her empathy comes after experiencing her own tragedy in 2019, when a fire destroyed her home.
"Yea, so that was pretty traumatic," Wilson said.
But she persevered, making parenting her top priority.
"Parenting, to me, is an opportunity. It's a short window of time," Wilson said. "I enjoy them. I enjoy that they're enjoying life."
Staff with Nexus-Kindred Family Healing, a nonprofit organization, are asking Minnesotans to consider opening their homes to foster children across the state.
Nexus-Kindred provides community-based mental health services, foster care and adoption services, and residential treatment programs. The nonprofit started in Plymouth, Minnesota and now serves people in Illinois, Minnesota, Maryland and North Dakota.
If you are interested in fostering, Nexus-Kindred Family Healing has some resources to get started.
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