Some people say they would love to be a foster parent but have no idea what it involves. They imagine themselves rescuing some poor skinny little child, feeding him and living happily ever after, but there is so much more to it than that. If you value your freedom and being able to come and go as you please, then perhaps being a foster parent isn’t for you.
You need to understand that you will be changing your life, but more importantly you will be changing the life of a child. There are certainly a lot of drawbacks to be a foster parent but, if you are unafraid of facing problems and welcome the challenge to meet them head on and solve them, help a child and help mold his life. Then you will know that your life really counts for something.
Before Fostering Ask Yourself These Questions
Ask yourself the following questions after you have collected information from your state’s foster care agency.
1. Are you a patient person? Are you prepared to always give and the only thing you get in return is knowing you are helping a family?
2. What are your expectations? Be prepared that the child may not be happy about being in your home. What do you expect from the child, from his or her parents, the state and the fostering experience? Many have fallen by the wayside due to high expectations.
3. Do you have a strong support system of friends and family? Fostering a child can become stressful at times, so it is good to have someone who will listen when you need to unload.
4. Are you willing and able to deal what the children may put on you and not take it personally? Some children in care have been neglected, physically sexually, mentally and emotionally abused. This makes them resentful, angry and sad and they may take it out on their foster parents.
5. How do you feel about having social workers in your home every month? Are you able to work in partnership with a team of professionals to help the child? Excellent communication skills are required on your part, and you need to be committed to follow the social workers plan.
6. Do you have a lot of love to give? Can you show the child an excellent role model of healthy family relationships and that it’s great to grow up with a family?
If your answer to most of these questions is “yes,” you have a really good chance of being a wonderful foster parent. Give Foster Texas a call. We look forward to hearing from you.