- Experiences. Although baseball games, theater plays, trips to zoos or aquariums were likely a part of your childhood, many foster children have never experienced such luxuries.
There is no better feeling than seeing the face of a child experience something magical for the first time.
- Stability. An adult friend of mine recently told me that when she feels badly, she just wants to go to her mom’s house, hunker down in a comfy blanket and eat her favorite meal.
Foster children need someone stable to rely on as much or more than anyone else. - Home. When you have been away for a period of time, it feels so good to walk in to your home, cook in your kitchen, and lay in your bed. Your home isn’t going anywhere; it’s waiting for you each time you return.
Many foster children have experienced several moves and poor living conditions. A foster parent’s home can be a sanctuary to these children. - Fun. Probably the most heartbreaking story I have ever heard, involved a child who was removed from the home as a toddler. When social services entered the home, he was standing on a chair, in a dirty diaper, cooking an egg on the stove for his younger brother.
Many times, foster children have been exposed to “adult” experiences or placed in “adult” roles. Just like you and me, foster parents know that silly jokes, watching a funny tv show, or having family game night, helps the child feel connected and learn how to be a kid again. - Love. As with any relationship, loving another person is difficult at times. But love is paramount, especially for foster children. It is a beautiful thing when the walls come down and relationships are built.
Foster children are waiting to love and be loved. - Celebration. We aren’t talking about surprise parties with gifts. We celebrate the big and little: from learning to make a bed to getting good grades to being kind to others.
Celebration is recognition. Recognition is confirmation. And confirmation instills a sense of value. - Teamwork. Not one of us is in this alone. Foster kids need a team. Foster kids deserve a team.
We are all here for one another, with a common goal in mind: building a family for a child. - Family. A foster mother once told me that her young foster children had built walls so high; they did not think they would ever break through them. No amount of hugs or kisses or encouragement seemed to have an impact. Then, they took a road trip to visit the foster father’s family. It was on the trip back home that one of the children spoke up and said, “Now we really are a family”.
For that child, meeting extended family members meant that she was really a part of the family. This story is why We Build Families. To read the full story, click here.