Most potential foster parents are concerned with the difficulties fostering can bring. Even after taking in a child, many foster parents can get bogged down by all the challenges they face. However, by no means should we disregard how fostering can benefit your entire family. If you are thinking about fostering a child, or if you are a foster parent in need of some encouragement, consider these rewards that foster families experience.
Your Immediate Family
Family selfie at the dinner table.
Your immediate family is where the impact of fostering can be seen and experienced the most. Indeed, when you welcome a foster child into your home, you and your family can:
- Feel the satisfaction of contributing to your community.
- Grow in unity as you share the common goal of welcoming and caring for a child.
- Learn about parenting, compassion, and the foster care system through required classes and daily living.
- Practice creativity and teamwork as you maneuver through schedule changes, extra appointments, social worker visits, etc.
- Develop long-term, meaningful relationships with the children you foster.
Your Biological Children
While your immediate family benefits from fostering, your biological children can especially grow in a special way. With the addition of a foster child, your biological children have the opportunity to:
- Develop relational skills, like compassion and sharing.
- Learn leadership skills, such as modeling good behavior.
- Discover how far love can go as they see your capacity to love them the same even after a new addition to the family.
- Adapt to life’s ups and downs as they journey with you through the celebrations and loss of foster care.
Your Extended Family
The rewards of fostering may be less potent for your extended family, but they are no less real. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews all can be positively impacted in the ways listed above. In fact, your entire family can grow closer together. They can all develop a greater capacity to welcome and care for people with different backgrounds and life experiences.
Learn How Foster Care Can Benefit Your Entire Family
Now more than ever there is a need for individuals and families to step up to give these precious children stable homes, good role models, and lots of love. In return, you’ll face changes and challenges, but you’ll also see these great benefits for your entire family. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for additional information or support.