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How did you know for sure that foster care was the right thing for you to do?
Knowing that foster care is the right thing to do for you personally and your family is not something easy to explain. I have been asked how does one know this so I will give it my best shot and try to explain. Everyone will probably have a totally different idea or thought about it so please share below.
First, I the think the biggest question should be the reason you have decided to become a foster parent. Helping foster children work through their abuse, behaviors, and other issues should be a main reason for your choice of becoming a foster parent.
How I knew fostering was right for me was because of my reason for wanting to be a foster parent. I was adopted when I was an infant from a bad situation. My birth mother had the option to give me up for adoption or Child Welfare was going to remove me. I know the background that I was adopted out of, and what kind of damage it could have done to me being raised in that environment. I also know that I could have easily landed in foster care waiting years for my birth mother to get her act together and decide that she wanted to be a parent. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I was truly blessed to be adopted and given the chance at a real life, one not revolving around drugs, violence, etc.
With my background I knew when I was a teen that I wanted to become a foster parent. I wanted to help children that I could have so easily been. I wanted to give them the chance that I was given and also adopt out foster care. This is something that I was serious about. I informed my now husband of my plans when things became serious since not being a foster parent was not an option for me.
I think if I were not a foster parent, or some way involved with foster care and the idea of this would make you feel as you were missing something, then it is right thing for you. Also I think you need to ask yourself why you seem so fearful of this not being the right thing for you.
More reading:
Wondering If You Can Handle Foster Children
Individual Feelings About Foster Care
