How To Love a Foster Family

Our journey in foster care started when we became a foster family support family for some dear friends of ours. We didn’t know exactly what we were doing or what FFSS was, but we jumped in head-first. We learned very quickly what a support family meant, we were just that, a support system for not only the foster parents but the foster children as well.

We spent hours pouring into the beautiful children our friends fostered. We attended Pre-K graduations, birthday parties, had weekend sleep overs with the children, went to the movies, took them to park, went shopping with and for them, went to the lake with them, attended family sessions at play areas. We were there, right along side our friends, loving these sweet children they had in their homes. We were prayer warriors for everyone involved. 72 hours. That is all the time you get to have alone with these sweet children at one time. There are so many things you can do during our time supporting the parents, but more than anything, you are supporting the children. You are a safe adult, someone that they can trust. An adult who is fully invested in them and wants what is best for them.

But let me just say this, when it is time for the children to move on, whether that is going back to bio mom or dad, to another foster family, or to their forever family, you will grieve. You will grieve because you did your job right. It isn’t easy walking that journey along side a foster family, or the children they have for a short time. Some weekends are hard, some are easy. But they are always worth it. Always.