For Moms

How Will Fostering Affect Your Family?

5:40 PM

foster family

If you are interested in fostering, you will have to consider its short term and long term impact on your daily life. Whether you have a family or live by yourself, fostering will have an impact on your daily routine. Fostering is not an overnight decision and you need to consider how it will change your life before you make any decisions. There are some changes that are unique to fostering children and there are many others which occur when there is an addition of a new family member.


How Will Fostering Affect Your Family? 


Needs

siblings
Every child has their unique set of needs and a reason why they are in foster carer. There could be numerous reasons why children end up in fostering and the reason will have an impact on their behavior.

Children might have gone through an abuse or neglect and this could have an impact on how they adjust in your home. Some of their behavior might be annoying or disturbing to you and it could also have a negative impact on other children in your home. 

You will have to consider how your children will behave with the foster child and how will their behavior impact your child. 

Are you willing to give up the evenings and weekends that you spent by yourself? Do you have the patience to allow the foster child to adjust in your home? Can you help the child process their feelings? 

You need to remember that the entire atmosphere in your home will change and you will have to spend more time looking after the children. You might have to give up your ‘me’ time in order to ensure that the foster child adjusts inside your home.

Appointment

travel
As a foster parent, you will be responsible to ensure that the child always reaches on time for the appointment. You will have to take them to and fro and ensure that it does not disrupt your schedule. If you have a tight schedule, you will have to take out time for the child.

There could be some last minute appointment as well and you will have to add them to your schedule. Fostering is not an easy job but it is the most rewarding job you will ever undertake. You can check here to learn more about fostering.


Social Workers

social workers
Your main point of contact for fostering will be the social workers who will make regular visits to your home. This is done in order to ensure that the family is adjusting with the child and they aim to check the well-being of the child. You should be prepared for regular visits from the social workers and you will have to let them in your home.


Entertainment

siblings
You might be a travel enthusiast and before fostering, might have traveled across the world without giving a care. With a foster child, you will have to get permission before you travel with them.

You will have to speak to the social workers for day travels and if you wish to take the child out of the state, you will have to seek permission from the court. You also have to understand that there are restrictions in terms of entertainment activities as well.

Foster children cannot participate in risky activities and sports without the permission from the social workers and the parents. Fostering will definitely change how you are as a person and how you travel or indulge in adventure activities.


Schedule

foster papers
Your entire schedule will change with the addition of a child in your life. There will be a change in your routine due to the appointments, social worker visits and also your travel plans. Depending on the age of the child, you might not have a consistent schedule. If the child is an infant, you might have to constantly be there for them, they need to have food at a certain time, they need to be in bed at a certain time and you need to be around whenever they need you.


Fostering means changing the various aspects of your home in order to meet the needs of the child. You might have to seek help from your family members to ensure that the foster child feels safe and comfortable in your home. Consider fostering only and only if you are ready for the changes in your daily routine and in your life. You need to understand the looking after a child is not an easy task and you will have to give all your heart and head into the process.



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1 comments

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  1. A very thought-provoking post. Thank you for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete