The feelings I share in this video is why I have been so committed to this blog and this online community of foster parents for the last 3+ years.
Every comment here on the blog makes me feel less alone in my journey through the foster care system. You understand! You get it! The connection I feel with you and your unique struggles is real.
I do have a few real life friends that are foster parents, but live far away, so online is the way to stay connected in today’s world. I’ve even met one Foster2Forever reader in real life! We became instant IRL friends, and because of blogging, we knew each other’s stories.
Connection is the key! Connect with me and other foster parents via:
GOOGLE PLUS – Last September, I hosted a Google Hangout (video chat like Skype) with 4 other foster parents. What a great way to connect! (plus they got to meet our insomniac LilBit)
My desire with all these online accounts to give an easy way for foster parents to share their unique journeys with each other to not feel so alone in their foster care journey.
If you are parenting a child, as I am, who came to you by way of the foster care system, your child may be needing extra support around recent events, but really all children are likely to need some parental guidance as they attempt to make sense of something that is beyond comprehension, even for most grownups.
There are people who do bad things sometimes. They may be sick, they may be mad or upset about something. They may hurt people. Momma, Daddy and the grown-ups that are around you will do everything in our power to keep anything from happening to you, and to keep you safe.
Denise of Fostering a Blessing in Hits Home wrote:
Before foster care I NEVER knew this world of childhood mental illness existed. Let’s talk about it. Let’s help these kids. Locking them up…NOT THE ANSWER.
As a child raised by a mentally ill mother, you would think I would fully understand the depths of that reality but I suppose I’m still drifting around somewhere not fully grasping the truth of it all. Hoping that it would never become my reality again.
I guess I put this out there to show what it looks like in OUR house. We don’t have to make trips to psychiatric hospitals. We don’t have three hour violent rages that involve restraints. But it isn’t easy all the time. There’s a lot of anger and frustration. There’s a lot of hurt. There’s a lot of ugly that most folks wouldn’t understand.
One evening, after putting the kids to bed, I sat back on the sofa and propped my feet up – my first chance to relax after coming home from work. I flipped on the television and turned on the local news – maybe a new store was opening? My feet, along with my jaw, quickly [...]
We had taken over 30 hours of training to become a foster parent! We had a car seat and a crib – the items our caseworker required before opening our home to new placements! For two years, I had successfully home schooled my teenage stepson with his ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome. I was ready for [...]
If you follow Foster2Forever on Facebook or Twitter, you know that we had a rough weekend! Stinkpot had a number of rages over the weekend that eventually drove me to curl up in tears. For those of you with children that may have Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) or other attachment issues, you can understand the [...]
I’m SO excited!!! I finally received my copy of The Connected Child by Dr. Karyn Purvis! So many of you raved about this book when I asked for recommendations telling me that I MUST read this book. And how about this recommendation from Susan Livingston Smith (of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute): “The Connected [...]
