When you have decided to foster a child, you will likely spend a lot of time incredibly preoccupied as to how you can be the best mom possible for this child. Although there are no set rules on the best way to do this, and it will depend completely on the child that you foster, here are some top tips to help you to start off in the right direction.
- Fight Their Corner
One of the top steps that you should take as the mom of a foster child is to always stand by them and fight in their corner. Foster children can often feel as if decisions are made without their voice being heard, and they may also feel vulnerable and alone. However, you can always fight for their best interests and ensure that decisions are reached which they are aware of and have formed an opinion on. This can help the foster child in question to have a bright future ahead of them and can ensure that they always know that they have someone on their side.
- Offer Them Support
Although some foster children may find it difficult to trust others, you should always make sure that you give them no reason not to trust you and that they know that you will be there to support them when they want you to. You should always listen to them and respect their decisions, make them feel welcome, and help them to get to where they want to go, without pressuring them to open up to you or to take the support that you are offering to them.
- Give Them Affection
Not every foster child will be alright with physical affection, especially at first. However, as long as you follow their lead, there is no reason why you cannot offer them affection, such as telling them that you care about them, by using important phrases that they need to hear, and showing your affection for them in other, non-physical ways. This will then help them to feel loved and at home within your household and can ensure that they know that they will always have a place with you. If you think that you would make a great foster mom, you should find out more at thefca.co.uk.
- Encourage Their Schoolwork
School might not always be on the priority list of every foster child, especially if they have had to go to a lot of different schools or if their education has been disrupted. Therefore, you should try to encourage them in terms of their academic work as much as possible, ensuring that they can enjoy the same experience as their peers, that they can ask you for help if they are struggling academically, and that they have the time and space that they need to complete homework. You should reward and praise them for their efforts, and make sure that they do not feel as if they are falling behind or that they are not performing well enough.
Being a great mom for a foster child is not always the same as being a great mom for a birth child. However, by following the tips in this guide, you will be able to ensure that you can give your foster child the support and loving home that they need.
