e-mail
When visiting extended family with your foster children during the holidays, you need to do some extra preparing. If you have your own children that will be receiving gifts from family members take into account your foster children. You do not want your foster children sitting there watching your other children unwrapping presents. They have spent most of their life being ignored or left out. I do understand this can be a touchy situation with other family members. Understand they may not think of your foster children or have a tight budget. What ever the reason we should respect it. I tend to be open, okay maybe a little blunt with my family, so I just ask them. My husband’s family a tad different, I treaded softly and just assume they will not think of it. So, I know I will need to take of my foster children. If you do have family members that want to give your foster children gifts, suggest something inexpensive. You can also use these ideas and keep a few gifts handy incase someone forgets.
1. Books or magazines (all ages)
2. Funny Socks (more for girls)
3. Colored pens or pencils and drawing paper
4. Puzzles
5. A scarf, gloves or hat
6. Matchbox cars
7. Lip gloss
8. Cute notepads
9. Coloring Books
10. Puzzle Books
11.Playing cards (Uno, Skip Bo, etc)
12. Small hand held games ( can find these at discount store even at drug stores for $5 or under)
The main thing is just try and include your foster children as you would your bio or adopted children at Christmas. It doesn’t matter how little or much you spend on them. For them it is about being part of the holiday and a family.
“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Lanette, how funny we are on the same page! I just wrote a list and posted it a few minutes ago. I love yours, you thought of things I didn’t. I find just including them in everything, including the weird family traditions, helps them feel welcome as well. Thanks for a great post.
I’ve wondered about this issue (we hope to be foster parents in a few more years). One think I’d thought of was to simply tell me parents we’d give the kid(s) gifts from them and be prepared for a thank you. We are unlikely to actually see relatives during the holidays, but there’d still be a notable absence under the tree. (Actually, I’d first ask if they wanted to buy gifts and if they declined, then do this.) We don’t go overboard in gift giving, so should be able to do this in our budget. And I can count on my MIL to buy them gifts–she’s a foster mom herself (well, not anymore, as she adopted her last daughter in Nov) and overloads every lilttle kid she knows with gifts!