Support, Part 2

Well it took awhile, but I finally could sit and write again. This is something that is so important to any parent, to have good support of those around them.

How you can support us or other Foster Parents.

• When we take a new placement, offer a meal, to come hold the baby, or bring your children over to meet our little ones. Often foster children can open more to other children and helps them to feel comfortable. If we feel that our foster child(ren) are not ready for this yet, we'll let you know.
• Offer hand me downs, whether it be clothes, shoes, books, toys or gear, it's always helpful since we have to purchase all our items, most foster mommies never have a baby shower or anything of the sort where gifts and gear are given to them. Also most foster children come with maybe 2-3 outfits and 1 toy. After a few placements we tend to have so much gear but when we take a new age, we need different items.
• Schedule a play date with us. Your home, mine, Kid Venture, Sea World, Zoo or a park. You name it, we'd love to meet up and play.
• Call to check in and offer to bring coffee, tea, chocolate. Sometimes I just need to know that I'm thought of and might refuse the extras, but I always love when people come to visit. It helps to refresh me and the kids also love visitors.
• Offer to babysit for a couple hours, anytime of day. I often have trouble asking for babysitting help unless I absolutely need it in order to go to an appointment or really need a night out with hubby.
• Treat our foster child(ren) like family, no matter how difficult or challenging they may be. Please try to understand that my foster child, has been through some major trauma, and that they may be afraid of you, they may lash out or they may smile and bond to you quickly. Each child is different and one foster child to the next may have a completely different response to you and to me.
• When our foster child(ren) leave our home, offer an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on or even a night out to distract us.

I'm sure there are so many ways to support, these would be the big ones for us.


"There is an instinct in a woman to love most her own child - and an instinct to make any child who needs her love, her own." ~Robert Brault