Committed to Making a Difference
So you have decided that you want to know more about becoming a Foster Carer and you start to search the internet, make a few calls and find out as much as you can about it before taking the plunge!
Can you remember all the positive things you were told about how rewarding being a foster parent is and how much of a difference you are going to make to a young persons life. Whilst this is true, no-one ever seems to divulge that, at times, things are not so rosy and life as a Foster Carer can get tough.
However, if you have the passion, support from your family and Social Worker, and commitment you CAN get through these hard times just like our carers did. Here is their story:
Stay Committed
“John* and I discussed fostering because once our kids had grown up we wanted to help other not so lucky kids. We had an inkling that it wouldn’t be easy and that there was a lot for us to learn but we hoped to also learn a lot from the children we looked after.
We had a baptism of fire, our first foster child could be really nice but he had real problems with female authority and with authority at school. He was determined to return home to his mum or his older brother and made an accusation against us. This really gave us doubts as to whether we were cut out to be good Foster Carers but with the support from Lorimer and our friends, family and neighbours, we decided to carry on and we are now on our second placements and the two children we have are an absolute pleasure. Don’t get me wrong they have their problems but they are lovely kids and we both hope that they will remember their time with us and think fondly of the time.
Being a Foster Carer is totally different to dealing with your own children, you have to think about things differently, things that come naturally with your own children. If your own child falls over and hurts themselves you would give them a hug and a kiss and say it’s going to be ok. With a foster child you have to take into consideration how they feel and depending on the circumstances, the child may not like you to hug them and a kiss to comfort them is not appropriate.
Our first placement also had a big impact on our children, they couldn’t understand why the child had behaved that way but they have backed us both and said that they are proud of us for trying to help fostered children.”
Do you feel you could stay committed when things get tough like these carers did? If so, then give us a call.
*Carers name has been changed for anonymity
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