Six years ago, Beth, an external communications professional at nVent, and her husband, Andrew, began to wonder what their future family life would look like. With family members who had been foster and adoptive parents, the couple was aware of the urgent need.
When Beth and Andrew obtained their foster license, they immediately opened their home to teenagers in need. Their home was quickly filled with busy mornings and laughter.
“I think there is a perception that teens will get into trouble all the time and are just too much work,” Beth explained. “The kids in our house go to school, play sports and have fun with their friends. They mostly get into the normal ‘trouble’ other teens get into: skipped homework, a little fib to get more screen time or insisting they really did their laundry.”
As the years passed, the couple continued serving as foster parents. Having a full understanding that the goal of foster care is reunification, Beth and Andrew supported the children in their care for as long as they needed.
In 2022, the couple became foster parents to two young girls. It became clear reunification would not be possible and after many discussions with caseworkers, the couple decided to adopt them and officially become a family.
Throughout the adoption process, Beth was able to lean on her employer for support. With nVent’s adoption benefits program, Beth took paid time off work to bond with her daughters as they navigated this new life.
“Not all employers offer this benefit,” said Beth. “Often, adoptive parents support this transition with whatever vacation time they can save or even FMLA, which is unpaid. When I returned to work, the first question from everyone was ‘How is your family?’ nVent is truly behind us.”
“Sometimes adoptive families have unique needs, such as additional appointments, bonding or training,” explained Lynnette Health, Chief Human Resources Officer at nVent. “To help new adoptive parents meet these needs, we offer our employees flexible scheduling and paid leave. Parenting is the most important job. We are proud to support the journeys of our employees who are adoptive parents.”
With the continued support of Beth’s employer, the family is thriving. Their children are growing together and working hard to convince their parents to get another dog.
Congratulations, nVent, for being recognized as a 2023 Adoption Advocate! Interested in elevating your organization’s benefits for employees who foster and adopt? Get started by downloading the Foundation’s free Adoption-Friendly Workplace toolkit.
