Penelope, Author at Foster2Forever

My Promise to My Foster Kids

One March evening in 2008, I instantly became the mom to a beautiful 8-month-old baby boy through foster care! I didn’t know much about babies, but had made a promise to take care of him (and any other foster children) that came into our home, no matter how long (or short) he stayed.

A PROMISE TO MY FOSTER CHILDREN, I PROMISE TO:

Protect you;
Love you;
Advocate for you;
Show understanding & grace;
Meet your physical & emotional needs;
Treat you as a member of our family.

Just as moms make promises to their children, JOHNSON’S^® Baby also makes promises so moms don’t have to worry about the products they use on their little ones. When they heard that some moms were concerned about the ingredients in their products, they made a promise — to stand up and change their product formulas—not because of safety, but for peace of mind. They removed formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane from all of their baby products, everywhere around the world.

JOHNSON’S^®Baby has also removed parabens for most of the new and improved baby products – ahead of their 2015 commitment – as part of their promise to moms. (For more information about their policies and timeline, visit safetyandcarecommitment.com.)

As a way to express their commitment to babies everywhere, they have created a video sharing our promise as a love story to all of you. Based on a Japanese legend that folding 1,000 origami cranes will result in a wish granted and a hope fulfilled, our scientists came together with their families to create an origami stork mobile to show mom that her promise is our promise, too. Check out this inspiring video of “Our Promise”

The JOHNSON’S^®Baby Family is excited to introduce you to seven newly reformulated products:

JOHNSON’S^® Baby HEAD-TO-TOE^®Wash
JOHNSON’S^® Baby Lotion
JOHNSON’S^® Baby Shampoo
JOHNSON’S^® Baby Shampoo & Conditioner for Thick and Curly Hair
JOHNSON’S^® Baby Shampoo & Conditioner for Thin and Straight Hair
JOHNSON’S^® Baby Shampoo with Calming Lavender
JOHNSON’S^® Baby Soothing Vapor Baby Bath

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Johnson’s Baby, but I promise these opinions are my own.

10:00 am by Penelope

Letting Go of Foster Child

I think letting go may be one of the hardest choices we have to make in our life here on earth.

Letting go of loved ones;
Saying goodbye and cutting bonds or ties;
Lacking closure.
All of which I, myself, am not good at.
Especially the closure part.

Things left unsaid.
Questions unanswered.
One last I love you.
One last hug.
Rushed goodbyes.

from:
http://laurabohmannchapman.blogspot.com/2014/07/letting-go.html

10:46 am by Penelope

Best Books for Teaching Children about Touch

Last year, I wrote on tips for prevention of sexual child abuse. The statistics on sexual abuse of children is alarming — Experts estimate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthdays! (from Darkness to Light)

One of the best things we can do as parents is to allow our children to discuss the uncomfortable topic of touch.

Teach your children about their bodies, about what abuse is, and, when age-appropriate, about sex.
Teach children that it is “against the rules” for adults to act in a sexual way with them and use examples.
Teach them what parts of their bodies others should not touch.

Here are some of the best books for teaching children about their bodies and appropriate touch. {affiliate links}

Amazon.com Widgets

Be sure and read these tips for prevention of child sexual abuse.

4:21 pm by Penelope

Don’t Let Your Children Drown (as these foster parents did)

A tragic story unfolded last year when two young siblings drown in a local lake here in Texas. What makes the story even more tragic is that the 6-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother were in foster care, and according to this news story were clearly not being closely supervised.

“There was nobody. There was nobody for the first five or ten minutes they were doing CPR on the girl. Everybody was looking around asking where her parents were.”

These foster parents certainly weren’t abiding by these water safety rules for foster homes.

The water safety rules state that at least one ADULT supervising swimming activities “must be able to swim, carry out a water rescue, and be prepared to do so in an emergency.” There were reports that a 12-year-old was supervising the children. A 12-YEAR-OLD??? I certainly wouldn’t run the risk of a 12-year-old getting distracted while supervising young children in an open body of water.

The water safety rules require foster homes with swimming pools that “caregivers must be able to see all parts of the swimming area when supervising activity.” The caregivers obviously weren’t supervising at all because they didn’t even notice their foster daughter was having CPR performed on her for at least 10 minutes!

The water safety rules specifically state that a child must wear a life jacket when “the child is in more than two feet of water and does not know how to swim.” The children obviously weren’t wearing life jackets. Why not? Life jackets were easily accessible at the lake for free.

I guess some people just don’t realize how easily a child can drown and how closely a child must be supervised while swimming.

This summer, I was overjoyed to watch my boys swim a short distance after a week of lessons. (see my 7-year-old son swim on Instagram) This weekend, at our aunt’s pool, we worked on swimming skills, and I realized that my 4-year-old Lil Bit really doesn’t have the ability to swim any distance at all. (He’s just not kicking quickly enough) As I was working with my now 7-year-old, my aunt gasped and pointed. My 4-year-old Lil Bit, had stepped off the pool step and was struggling to swim to the edge of the pool! I was standing right next to him! Swimming can be such a dangerous activity! A child can drown so easily!

The drowning deaths of these two foster children infuriates me! Their drownings were preventable! If only had the foster parents simply followed the water safety rules and adequately supervised swimming!

Do your children know how to swim? What additional water safety rules do you follow?

10:00 am by Penelope

The Honeymoon of Foster Parenting

If you follow our adventures on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you know that I was finally a mom to a little girl!

This precious 3-year-old went to bed so easily, went to potty by herself (even during the night), and was very polite.

Her stay was short at only 10 days, but as she became more adjusted & feeling more safe with our family, the 3-year-old inside became more evident. She actually began using the dreaded n-word — “NO”! (just as most typical 3-year-olds)

The honeymoon phase is the early harmonious period in a relationship – it’s usually over in two weeks…

How long has your “honeymoon period” of fostering lasted?

10:15 am by Penelope

10 Things to Do When a Foster Child Is Returning Home

What do you do when a foster child is returning home? If you’ve had a foster child in your home for any length of time, you know how easy it is for foster parents to get attached. However, since reunification is always the original goal of foster care, what can a foster parent do when a foster child is returning home? Exactly how does a foster parent get over the feeling of loss?

10 Things to Do When a Foster Child is Returning Home

Grieve! You will miss your foster child and always wonder how they are doing. Sometimes it takes time for our hearts to heal. It’s hard for a foster parent to keep emotions in check all the time.
When the birthfamily agrees, maintain some connection to your foster children after they leave your foster home …. that can make a huge difference!
Cry! Watch a sad movie to give yourself an excuse to cry. Remind your children that it is okay to be sad sometimes.
Take a time-out from foster parenting. If you need to, put things away that reminds you of your foster child for a while and give yourself time to heal.
Indulge yourself in what makes you happy. That could mean taking a vacation or a weekend getaway. (We have taken a Disney cruise, visited SeaWorld, and played at Hurricane Harbor waterpark.) You might treat yourself to a pedicure or massage. Or simply enjoy an indulgent meal/dessert with your family.
Spend some quality time with your forever children. Devote to family bonding time. Cling to and love the family in your home.
Keep yourself busy. Work on projects and throw yourself into painting a room, rearranging rooms or some other project with your forever family.
Make a memento of your foster child’s stay. Make a photo album of your foster child (see the easy photobook I made of LilBit). Add your foster child’s photo to your wall. Make a Christmas ornament for each of your foster children.
Pray for your foster children and their families!
Foster a child {again}! Get ready for the revolving door of your foster home to open for the next hurting foster child. There are so many children in foster care that need a loving home.