Could Fostering Fill Your Empty Nest? | Lorimer Fostering

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COULD FOSTERING FILL YOUR EMPTY NEST?

Posted on 26th September 2018 by

Empty Nest Foster Carers

For most parents, September is a month of routine. Chaotic routine, but routine nonetheless. It’s the time of year where young people return to education, ready to embark on another chapter in their lives. Now, they find themselves one-step closer on their journey to independence. Parents usually find themselves scrambling together uniforms, pens and pencil cases, books, bags and everything in between! Then letting out a sigh of relief when the front door finally closes on that first morning. As finally, they are finally free for the first time in what seems like months! However, for some parents, this September, that year-on-year routine will be broken, as their young ones venture off to university, and they themselves find that they are about to embark on a new chapter in their own lives: living with an empty nest.

 

The dictionary describes Empty Nest Syndrome as, ‘sadness or emotional distress affecting parents whose children have grown up and left home.’ For most parents, this emotion usually surfaces when their youngest child has moved out of the family home. Empty nest syndrome is not a clinical diagnosis, but rather describes a transitional period in which many parents experience feelings of emptiness or loss.

 

As parents, you encourage your children to become independent adults; but the experience of sending children off into the world alone can be an emotional time. There are many ways to tackle Empty Nest Syndrome, such as; starting a new career, developing a new routine or finding a new hobby to indulge in. Many parents also find that becoming a foster carer can be a refreshing and challenging continuation from traditional parenthood.

 

A Need for More Carers

In the UK alone, there is currently a demand for over 8,100 foster families. This means that there are over 8,100 children currently living in the UK who are waiting for the right home.  Here at Lorimer, we find that parents whose children have gone off to university make ideal foster carers. You will understand the need to nurture a child in all expects of their lives, both emotionally and in their education. You will have a lot of ambition for the children in your care and be enthusiastic for their further education.

 

Having a foster child in your home can not only be a great distraction from the sadness of your own child leaving, but can also give you a fresh purpose and a new lease of life. It’s such a rewarding role – giving you the chance to make a real difference to a young person’s life. Foster carers Annette and Graham discussed fostering because once their own children had grown up they still wanted to make a difference, “once our kids had grown up we wanted to help other, not so lucky kids”; you can read more about their journey on our carer stories page. They have found their experience to be really rewarding.

 

Let Us Help You Fill Your Empty Nest

Could your empty nest make a loving home for a child who can’t be cared for by their birth family? Contact Lorimer Fostering today. We’ve been at the heart of fostering for over 10 years, supporting amazing families to love and care for hundreds of young people, changing many lives along the way. Could you be the next member of our ever-growing family?

Leave your details with us using the form below, and one of our friendly fostering team will give you a call and answer any questions you may have!

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