Foster Parenting

There are many children that do not have permanent homes for various reasons. Foster parenting is a way to help these children live in a productive loving family. Foster care is a system that helps protect children from abuse, neglect, and abandonment when the natural parents are unable to fulfill their parental duties. Foster parenting involves patience and love. Many times the children that pass through their doors come from abusive homes. It may take the child several weeks to adjust to the new living arrangement. During this time you may expect for the child to be feeling confused, rebellious, and uneasy about being around strangers. During the transition, foster parents will play a key role by providing a safe and trusting environment. There are some requirements that need to be met before foster parenting can begin. These prerequisites vary from state to state but have similarities. You must be at least age 21, have a stable home life, complete certain applications, complete background checks, have personal references, and have a home inspection. Some states will make you complete a training course.

Confidential information is passed to foster parents about the child and their family. You are accountable in keeping this information confidential. Foster parenting not only helps a child in need, it will help you gain a new found respect for yourself. You will learn that by over coming challenges and providing a child a loving home, you helped make a difference. Through foster parenting experiences, you will know that your guidance helped to shape an individual that may not have had a chance to have a productive life. Along with the good there are some bad. Foster parenting may cause a disapproval from family and friends. You may have issues with destruction of property and theft. You may have an abusive child that is placed with you causing havoc with your own children or the neighborhood. Many time abuse is all they know. You will need to learn not to take personally if a placement doesn’t work. There are many pros and cons in becoming foster parents. Foster parents are special people that have cause the direct result of children living more productive lives. Remember you can’t save everyone. For those you can’t, you can hope there is someone out there that can. For those you can, you can smile knowing that the joy they are having in their life is a direct result of the care and comfort you provided to them.