Deciding to take on a foster child into your home can be life-changing, helping you to gain more love in your life and feel more emotionally rewarded. While the benefits of fostering a child are vast, it is, of course, not without its own set of challenges. Fostering a child is certainly not a decision that you should jump into lightly. Taking the time to consider if fostering a child is right for you can be essential for ensuring your happiness long-term and the happiness of the child too. The list below outlines some key questions and considerations you should ask yourself if you are wondering if fostering a child is right for you.
Are You a Patient Person?
If you are wondering if fostering a child is right for you, then one of the first questions you should be looking to ask yourself is if you are a patient person. Fostering a child can require you to give almost constantly while receiving very little in return, apart from the knowledge that you are helping a child. This can be a very trying experience, especially if patience is not your most instinctive virtue.
Do You Have a Reliable Support System
Fostering a child can be a very difficult undertaking, which is why having a strong support system to fall back on can be essential for your mental wellbeing. If you are trying to work out if fostering a child is right for you, it is worth considering what support system you have. If you do not have the strongest support system, you can look into organizations like thefca.co.uk to connect you with a network of other foster parents and supporters.
Can You Keep Perspective?
If you are fostering a child who has had a very difficult background, then they are likely to experience feelings of sadness, resentfulness, or anger. It is not uncommon for children to take out their feelings on their foster parents. If you are trying to work out if you are ready to start fostering you should ask yourself if you can deal with what a child might say or do to you and not take it personally.
Can You Have an Unhappy Child in Your Home?
When you are looking to foster a child, you must be aware of the emotional turmoil many of these children have experienced. No matter how loving or supportive you are as a foster parent, the child might not be able to be happy in your home. When you are thinking about fostering, you must keep your expectations realistic, knowing no matter how supportive you are, the symptoms of a child’s past might prevent them from being happy at this point.
Are You Ready to Say Goodbye?
Foster care is not designed to be a permanent solution, which means that the child will be moving on someday. Even if you know that someday you will have to say goodbye to this child, it is only natural to get attached to them. Saying goodbye to your foster child doesn’t have to mean you will never see them again, but it does signify a change in your relationship. When you are thinking about fostering you must be able to say goodbye one day.
