Pubdate: Mon, 26 Dec 2005
Source: Times-News, The (ID)
Copyright: 2005 Magic Valley Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.magicvalley.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/595
Author: Jamey Colter, Times-News correspondent
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

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."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake