Nikki Hertzler, author of "Help! I'm a Foster Parent"
Stephen H. Provost
Nikki Hertzler resides in northern Nevada. She and her husband have lived in several states before settling with their three children in Nevada almost two decades ago.
Nikki is an avid reader and an elementary teacher. As a speaker, she speaks on the importance of early childhood development as well as on foster care. Her family enjoys participating in their church ministries and being on outdoor adventures. A few years ago, with their biological children on the brink of leaving home, the Hertzlers felt God calling them to foster. Since then, they have been introducing their foster children to the fun of hiking, skiing, Lake Tahoe, and the God who created them.
THE AUTHOR
Nikki Hertzler can be found on her website, NikkiHertzler.com
She’s active on Facebook at facebook.com/Nikki_Hertzler
You can find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/teacher_nikki_lee
Her Amazon page is https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nikki-Hertzler/author/B0BVLHB22L
Name and occupation: Nikki Hertzler. I am an elementary school teacher, author, speaker, and foster mom.
Where and with whom do you live? My husband and I live in Reno, Nevada. We still have a son living with us and another son nearby. Our daughter lives in San Diego. We often have one to three foster children living with us.
If you could co-write a book with any author, living or dead, whom would you choose? Jerry Jenkins has so much experience with both non-fiction and fiction that I would love to co-write with him. I have loved his fiction series, Left Behind, and he also has a heart for mentoring writers, which I take advantage of through Facebook and webinars.
Why do you write? I write because I have always valued reading, both fiction and non-fiction. Reading expands our world and we learn vicariously through other people’s experiences, both fiction and real, both living and past. I love to help spread knowledge and experiences.
Where do you write? Right now, our foster child room is empty of children, and I have been using it, with its frilly white desk for writing and its pink walls for reflecting sunlight. The stuffed animals don’t crowd me too much.
What do you collect? You mean besides books, of course! I have collected my children’s artwork and school papers through the years and that has been enough “stuff” to fill boxes and tubs. But I have also collected lighthouse objects because I love what they symbolize..
Historical period you’d like to visit: Since I was about six, I have loved reading about the Westward Expansion period of our country. The Little House on the Prairie series was a favorite, and any book I could get my hands on about traveling west in a wagon train I read. This is the period I would love to get in a time machine and visit. My own great-grandma traveled to western Nebraska in a wagon.
Favorite board, card or video game: I love Rummikub. Lots of thinking and as challenging as you want it.
THE BOOK
Title, genre and length? Help! I’m a Foster Parent is in the Christian Living category. 168 pages.
When and where does it take place? There are fifteen authors besides myself who contributed chapters. They are from around the U.S. and Canada. Most of the authors are foster parents, but others are support people such as a family court judge and case worker.
How did you come up with the title? The title came from the gut-wrenching need for help in this painful yet rewarding mission!
What inspired you to write it? As foster parents, my husband and I were on our knees in constant prayer over the needs and traumas of our children and their families. I knew there was an even more variety of needs that we hadn’t experienced, so I knew this would have to be a collaborative effort.
Is there a sequel in the works? A sequel I am considering is collecting stories from former foster children. What worked and didn’t work for them? How did they get through this—what helped them be successful at life despite their early situation? I am also going to continue writing historical fiction for children.
Where, how can you get it? Help! I’m a Foster Parent is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Describe your book in one word that most people don’t normally use. Poignant.
What would you select as your book’s theme song? Who would you choose to write the musical score? Father to the Fatherless by Anthem.
To whom did you dedicate it and why? I have a fairly long acknowledgments page because so many people spoke into this project. One fellow is (was) an elementary-aged son of my friend. He enjoyed weekly playtimes with our first foster child, who was about his age and my young friend kept asking for more after that first one was re-united with family.
ThE SUBJECT
What’s your subject? The subject is foster parenting and where we can find support for continuing this journey.
How did your subject shape the lives of those around it? Foster parenting shifts your world. For example, it takes different methods to parent these children. Additionally, our schedule is shifted—at least two parent meet-ups a week, doctors, therapists, school appointments, daycare or after-school care. And finances shift—we bought a bigger car so the whole family could drive together. Ultimately, foster parenting causes us to see our weaknesses (strengths too, yes, but lots of weaknesses). I hope that foster parents don’t isolate, but reach out for community involvement and help. And, as my title shows, I hope they reach out to God for help too.
How does your subject most profoundly affect our lives today? In the USA, over 400,000 children are in foster care. Up to 80% have mental health issues. Former foster children have a higher rate of being in prison, of not graduating high school, of having substance dependence, and of teen pregnancies. I’ve seen a statistic that 50% of the homeless population have been in foster care. This is not an individual problem, it is a problem that involves our whole society. I’m not saying that being in foster care is the problem, but rather the situations that have resulted in the children being removed from their families are.
What famous or historical figure would be eager to read your book and why? Babe Ruth and Eleanor Roosevelt would read this book. They were both fostered as children. Babe Ruth became an adoptive dad himself. Melissa Gilbert, from my childhood favorite TV show Little House on the Prairie, would read it. She too was adopted.
What about your subject can most people relate to? Many people I speak with say they’ve thought about foster parenting. They are folks who love children and know the value of an intentional and nurtured childhood.
What’s the most unique aspect of your subject? This book certainly is for a very specific niche! There are between 400,000 and 450,000 foster children in the USA in any given year. There are about 214,000 foster families in the U.S. That would be probably how many are licensed, so keep in mind many of those will taking a break or only take certain ages, or are licensed for their own family. Of the foster families who are not related to the children, 65% are regular church attenders. So I think even though my niche is small, it is mighty.
Would you find your subject addressed in school? Should it be? Foster children are not pointed out in school since it is a matter of confidentiality. But let me tell you that teachers, counselors, and other school staff are well aware of who those children are and that they need extra love, care, and compassion.
What’s the underlying theme/message? Foster parents choose to be in the midst of the pain and the hope this job brings, and they do it with the love for God, and with His strength and wisdom.