Research says that parents’ affection can shape their children’s happiness and outlook in life. According to Child Trends, a non-profit research organization in the United States, the warmth and love that parents display to their children have an effect on their overall being. This includes the children’s academic performance, self-esteem, outlook on life, and so on.
However, every day, more and more children experience abuse or neglect in their homes inflicted by their own parents. When this happens, the child or children become part of the foster care system handled by the Department of Human Services.
Some children get to be sent immediately to foster homes to be taken care of. Meanwhile, there are children who wait for days, weeks, and even months before they can be sent to a foster home that can take care of them.
Here at Courage Community Foster Care, we receive around 15-20 calls for children who need placement in Colorado. Most children are hard to place in foster homes because a lot of them are siblings who need to be together.
Think of all the children out there who do not have a home they can call their own. Think of all the children who are unhappy because they do not have guardians to take care of them.
This is where you come in. You can make a difference as a foster parent. Think of the lives of the children you can change.
5 Reasons Why You Should Be A Foster Parent
1. Children Need Your Love
Love, warmth, and affection are important in a child’s life. You may not be their biological parent, but that would not matter much to them. Because they experienced neglect and/or abuse from their real parents, the right kind of love and affection will suffice for their emotional needs.
You, as their foster parent, can bring happiness into their lives. You can influence a positive outlook on their life because the love you give children has a long-lasting impact. Therefore, even if you will only be taking care of them temporarily, they will carry with them the love that you gave them for an entire lifetime.
2. Break the Cycle of Abuse
Most children who need to be placed into a foster home were abused by their own parents. If they will not be placed under the care of a foster home, unknowingly, certain issues arise from the abuse they have experienced in their homes.
Some of these issues involve mental health problems, substance abuse, poverty, and homelessness. Moreover, what can be alarming is that when they have a family of their own, some abused children also have the possibility to become abusive parents as well.
How is that possible when they themselves know the feeling of being abused? While that is indeed true, because there was no intervention, they learned to believe that physical and emotional abuse are the only ways to discipline their own children.
That is why there is a need for good foster parents to act as guardians to set a good example of how to be a part of a healthy and loving family.
If you become a foster parent, you get the chance to change their perception of what it’s like to be in a family. You get to set a good example for these children so that when they have a family of their own, they can also provide the same love and affection that you have given them.
3. Keep Siblings Together
As mentioned, one of the reasons why more children are harder to place because a lot of them are siblings. Some foster parents do not accept siblings because they choose to care only for one. What happens in this kind of situation is that siblings are separated into different homes.
It is bad enough that they experienced neglect or abuse in their homes. In times like these, they need their siblings by their side so that they can get through this phase of their lives together. However, that can’t happen if they are not in the same foster home. If you are going to be a foster parent, consider offering a larger home by tendering care for siblings.
4. It Gives Meaning to Your Life
It is life-changing when you have a family of your own. Suddenly, your priorities are different. You are not only looking after yourself. You can’t simply make decisions based on what you need and want because you have dependents. More often than not, your decisions are influenced more by your dependents rather than yourself.
When you become a foster parent, it is as real as any parent who has a biological child. How you have guided them and how you teach them are seeds that will blossom into life lessons as they grow older. In turn, you will definitely learn a lot about yourself throughout the experience of being a foster parent.
5. There Are Not Enough Homes
As we mentioned, there are not enough homes in Colorado for these children who are in desperate need of one. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of foster parents who opt not to take care of older children or siblings. There is a need for more foster parents who can give a home to these children.
The Difference Between Foster Care and Adoption
The Difference Between Foster Care and Adoption
You might be wondering about the difference between foster care and adoption. Both are quite similar. Both are a way to provide a home for homeless, abused or neglected children. There are also a few differences.
In foster care, the guardians maintain parental rights for the child; however, these rights are managed by the state. Adoption, on the other hand, is where full legal custody and rights are granted to the adoptive parents.
The length of the stay is also different. Foster care has a limited period because it is used as a temporary placement until the child can be sent back to their biological family or if they have been adopted. Adoption is permanent. However, foster care can lead to adoption.
In terms of resources, foster parents receive stipends from the government to use for the expenses for raising their foster child or children. Meanwhile, adoptive parents use money straight from their pockets because these children are already considered their own.
Are You Ready to Share Your Home?
If you are ready to become a foster parent, the first step is to be a certified one. At Courage Community Foster Care, we work to certify families for foster care and adoption in the Denver metro area, El Paso County and surrounding areas, and the rural communities of Eagle, Lake and Summit Counties.
We want the most positive outcomes for these children and for you as the foster parent. That is why we want to make sure that you and the children are fit together before we put them under your care.
You do not need to worry about the process because we will be there with you every step of the way from orientation, certification, and the placement of your foster children. We will act as the liaison between you and the Department of Human Services.
If you have the courage to make a difference, call us, Courage Community Foster Care, at 719-321-4319. There should be no child left behind.
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