Stress of Foster Care on a Marriage

It is quite easy to find yourself overwhelmed and feeling like you are sinking all alone. The stress at times can make you seriously question is being a foster parent worth it. With dealing with a large amount of stress and at times your spouse may not seem to understand what a day for you is like. You are so tired emotionally and physically that you fall into bed at night. Slowly before you know it you and your spouse have started drifting apart due... more

The stress of foster care affects the entire family and can start to put a strain on your marriage before you know it. I am speaking from my experiences and other foster parents I know, while I do understand this does not reflect every foster parent.

As the foster mom, you handle most aspects of foster care which is an enormous responsibility. When the call comes in about a new foster placement you are the one that makes that decision. It is you that sits in an ARD or teacher conference telling you all of the problems with this foster child that you have already discussed numerous... more

Fighting Battles for Our Foster Children

During the appointment, I listened to a lecture from the doctor that was intended for the biological mother. After my thirty minute parenting lecture I then had to supply a written promise to the doctor that I would make sure this foster child would not miss any of his appointments and attend all surgery appointments while he was in my care. Then I had to get prior approve for the surgery from child welfare. A couple of weeks before his... more

One of the major things foster parents struggle with is the constant battle they are put in the position to fight. This alone affects every part of your lifetime, relationships, and your mental and physical health. This is another reason I find it so funny when people and especially biological parents say we are the ones that do not care.

This evening I am on my front porch enjoying the cool country air and oh so tired of the battles that are added to my daily life due to foster care. I have two little faces pressed up to the front glass door watching me. We battle with child... more

Feeling Sorry For or Having Empathy

It is our responsibility to teach these foster children to be productive and responsible members of society. By constantly making excuses and feeling sorry for these children gives them to feeling that the world owes them something. Yes, as abused foster children they are entitled to a safe home, food, security, love, expectance, be a child and to have parents that put them first. While most of these children have endured... more

Feeling sorry for and having empathy for foster children are two totally different things. Each one of these can have a lasting impact on foster children and teaches them a lot (not all good things). I do not think people really think about the outcome of their actions towards foster children.

First; feeling sorry for foster children:

It is easy for us to feel sorry for what these children have suffered through in their lives. In school teachers tend to feel sorry for the abused child and then starts looking the other way when she is falling... more

There are great benefits to placing foster children in early childhood programs offered by the public schools. The benefits can be life long.

Foster children coming out of an abusive, neglectful or just overall bad living situation need structure, consistency, and they need to develop social skills. Most foster children have delays with their education needs and extra help is necessary to meet their education and developmental milestones.

Developing social skills is a great benefit from these types of programs. In most cases, these children... more

A state rallies behind a foster teen in her hope to be adopted. A 15 year old girl named Brittney in Las Vegas was placed in foster care after she was paralyzed in a vicious knife attack that killed her younger 3 year old sister.

The foster teen has blossomed in the care of her foster parents. She has requested to be adopted by her foster parents. The District Court level has denied her request and the Nevada Supreme Court will be hearing her requested in the near... more

Some people think or believe that foster parents are waiting, hoping, praying that the biological parents mess up or choose not to follow their plan to get their children back. If this was the case, then foster parents would not be willing to take foster children short term (2 or 3 weeks) or until kinship placement is worked out.

For the most part, I believe most foster parents do it for the children. Yes, I do know there are a few bad ones that do it for the money. I would think there would be a more involved way to help biological parents with counseling, teaching parenting classes, etc. if that was your goal.

Child welfare's goal is to assist the parents in receiving... more

This is for the children that do not have a voice. The ones that drugs were their beginning.

When you abused your body and mind, you also did it to me. While you created me, you were also destroying parts of me. As you carried me in your womb, you left me scarred and battered by your negative choices.

As you went on that high of “meth” time and time again, my tiny developing body was forced to go along. Each time you got “high” part of me was destroyed and not allowed to develop. The “meth” affected whatever was developing at the time of your “highs”; my brain, my organs, my nervous system.

As you received pleasure from your “high”, my little body was shaking,... more