Foster parenting is as much about helping the child you foster as it is about doing something for yourself, noted Days of Our Lives star Jen Lilley.
There Must Have Been a Moment of Truth
Remember that song from Sound of Music somewhere in my youth or childhood? Lilley echoed a part of it in a candid interview about what led her and her husband to foster parent and how it’s changed their lives.
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“If my adult-sized heart can take a little bit of the pain that child will experience in their lifetime, then I’ve done something good, and I’ve done something worthwhile,” Lilley told Upstate Parent as she advocated for the organization Child Help.
We Would Be Your Last Choice
Lilley noted that both she and husband Jason Wayne have “crazy schedules,” making them the last people one would think would be ideal choices to foster parent. She also said that it can be difficult getting attached to the children one foster parents.
“I got involved in fostering not for my own self, but for the child,” Lilley said.
Lilley’s parents often lent a hand to people they weren’t related to, opening their homes to those who needed it while the actress was growing up. That made a big impression on the actress, instilling in her a desire to advocate for children and children’s rights, as children often need someone to be a voice for them.
A foster parent’s home can shield vulnerable children from being victims of human trafficking and child abuse, among other potentially damaging problems.
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Fostering Fabulousness
Last October, Lilley and Wayne took a four-month old baby boy into their home as foster parents. Some speculated this was why Lilley chose to exit the role of Theresa Donovan on Days, given the hectic taping schedule front-burner characters like Lilley’s generally have on soaps.
Of course, the way Theresa left, it was clear the door is always open for her return. And come on, it would be a great storyline, right dear Soap Cities readers?
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