The Quiet Times

When you phone isn’t ringing for a placement it’s easy to start feeling impatient, it’s easy to wonder why you’re not getting calls. As a new foster parent this can feel frusterating, you’ve spent all the hours in training, getting your home ready, bearing gifts your soul in all the paperwork, letting strangers come Ino your home to see if it is safe, and then when it’s all over your ready, but no call.

My advise….

Take this time to breath, to connect with your family, to enjoy the quiet and peace (if that exists, LOL) in your home. Take this time to take all the training you can, Trauma training, read all you can about raising children that come from hard places. I know I’ve said this all before, but it can’t be said enough.

But most of all, take comfort that your not getting calls because it may mean that there isn’t any children in your age group being abused or neglected right now. In the beginning it’s hard to realize this. And a new child coming I to your home isn’t a reason to celebrate, we shouldn’t be excited about it. Having this child means they have suffered trauma to be there, and that’s never good.

Celebrate instead the parents when they are doing well, celebrate the children’s newileatones being met, celebrate reunification when it’s safe to happen. Celebrate success. Celebrate co parenting when it’s successful. Celebrate learning together as a team. Remember always that we are in the business of healing families, keeping families together when safe to do so.

And… When your doing it right, it will hurt when reunification happens, it should when your doing it right. But also if your doing it right, you can continue the wonderful relationship of extended family.