Judith Viorst, in her best seller “Necessary Losses”, discusses how we are forced to grow beyond the losses that are an inevitable and necessary part of life. For children forced into the child welfare system, the loss was necessary for their own well being and safety. These children had to be temporarily or sometimes permanently removed from their biological environment due to neglect, abandonment or abuse.

Foster parents are wonderful people empowered with the courage and fortitude to open up their hearts and homes to foster children. They understand that becoming a foster parent is a special mission or calling requiring the ability to be a guiding and supporting influence on young hurting souls. They realize that there is absolutely no alternative equal to another family environment when children, through no fault of their own and for whatever reason, can no longer live with their biological families and they have willingly stepped up to the challenge of making a difference in the life of a child.

I both admire and salute all foster parents because foster parenting is a demanding commitment. Not only are they required to acknowledge the bereft foster child’s difficult emotions when first placed in their home, integrate the child into their family, teach the child the family’s rules and rituals, routines and expectations, engender feelings of safety and security, but they are also required to work cooperatively in efforts to reunify the child with his/her birth family and so much more.

Yet, I believe there is such a wondrous power in the gift of human love and compassion. New life emerges in hearts of hurting children longing for unconditional love, tenderness, compassion, patience, understanding and hope. When foster parents reach out and lovingly touch a child, they infuse something priceless of themselves into the very soul and essence of another. When they touch a child in empathetic, kind, gentle, healing ways, they may be incognizant of the lasting impressions they are imprinting upon the child’s mind screen with each loving word, gentle embrace, and warm encouragement.

The power of love and compassion is awesome. There is something subtle, magnetic; redemptive that mysteriously transmits to the child in a positive, healthy and permanent way. It is the ministry of healing; the most lasting and meaningful kind of human touches. It is the silent, holy, and powerful contagion of a foster parent’s influence.

Literally thousands of lives have been positively affected by foster parents who have volunteered their homes, their lives, and selves to these children. As a former foster child myself, I can attest to the sustaining power that an understanding look or warm embrace can have on crushed spirits. I know what a loving foster home environment is. It is more than just a place to sleep comfortably and it is more than wiping away sad tears, but it is a refuge from the world of chaos. Foster Parents do make a difference.

Staff at the Children’s Place at Home Safe wear shirts with the inscription: When all is said and done all that matters is that I have made a difference in the life of a child. What a great testimony!

If you have not thought about it before, “now is the acceptable time” to consider becoming a foster parent. You remember what Jesus said in the gospel of Mark?

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” Mark 9:37.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16.

The need for loving foster homes is GREAT! There are children waiting for families in your community.
If you have room in your heart to give the gift of hope and healing and if you have room in your home to provide safety and stability for children who have been neglected, abandoned, or abused, please consider becoming a foster parent.

For Floridians, call 1-800-981-KIDS or visit The Children’s Place at Home Safe. for more information.
All others interested in foster parenting, please contact your local Department of Children and Family Services

You have an open invitation to visit us at AMEN Ministries: Your Soul’s Service Station for reviewing spiritual services being offered, obtain spiritual refreshing and soul edification, get your daily dose of humor, browse our newly expanded Stop & Shop WebStore and to visit our prayer sanctum for quiet time with God.

Blessings to all!
Saundra

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Foster parenting is a challenging, yet rewarding job. It’s a beautiful thing to give a child a home and a chance at a normal life. At the same time, you must understand that you are taking a child under your wing, without really knowing what she has been through or the ways in which she has been traumatized by the system and by her feelings of abandonment. It takes a special individual to provide a safe harbor for such a child. In this article, you’ll learn three important tips for foster parents.

• Your foster child will take issue with your authority. Expect this and you will not be disappointed. The reason a child will have a problem with your authority is that she has probably never had an authority figure in her life whom she could trust. Think about it. She is in the system because she was abandoned in some way. It doesn’t matter if this abandonment was intentional or not. Even if a child is in the system because her parents died and there is no one else in the family to take her in, she still feels that she has been abandoned. One of the first things that you need to do again and again is show this child that you are an authority figure whom she can trust. Although she won’t always like the decisions you make as a parent, if she sees that you act in her best interests, she will come to trust you and respect your authority over time.
  Tip! Literally thousands of lives have been positively affected by foster parents who have volunteered their homes, their lives, and selves to these children. As a former foster child myself, I can attest to the sustaining power that an understanding look or warm embrace can have on crushed spirits.

• Know where your foster child is in terms of her development. Since you have not raised this child from birth, you don’t know which of her dependency needs were met and which were not. This is why understanding child development is a must for foster parents. Once you figure out where your foster child is along the path of human development, you will know how to meet her needs, so she’ll start to feel like her needs will be met the same way in the future. This is essential to creating a healthy relationship and a strong, emotional bond.

• Foster parenting (like all parenting) involves spending time with your foster child. I’m not just talking about quality time which most parents see as doing something fun (like going to the movies), but what I refer to as “quantity time.” Quantity time creates connection through the experience of doing mundane tasks together, like chores, walking the dog or shopping for the groceries. This is what parents do to teach their children about how the world works. Something magic occurs when hands are busy with everyday tasks. Emotional walls come down and the intimacies of the heart are often shared. Remember, the heart-to-heart talks you had while helping your mother wash the dishes or your father fix the car? This is a great way to create connection while working together to create a comfortable and comforting home.

Foster parenting can be a mutually rewarding experience for parent and child. As you learn to see who your foster child is beyond the coping skills she has developed to protect her from the authority figures of the world, you will find a beautiful child who is yearning for the chance to be loved and love in return.

About the author: Laura Ramirez is the author of the award-winning book, Keepers of the Children: Native American Wisdom and Parenting - http://www.walk-in-peace.com/keepers.html This unique book combines ancient native ideas (like stewardship) with cutting-edge psychology to show parents how to raise children to develop their natural strengths and grow up to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives. The book explains human development from birth to death.

Laura is also the publisher of Family Matters Parenting Magazine which features insights into the core issues today’s parents face - http://www.parenting-child-development.com

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Perhaps your child is about to enter the teen years, or he is already there and your relationship with your child has become strained.
Or perhaps your relationship has always been strained.
Whatever the case, you need to mend some fences so you can help your child work through this difficult age.
Often, a bad relationship starts with a simple misunderstanding, or with a particularly difficult phase of your life that takes time away from your child and makes her feel resentful.
If the relationship is not terrible, you don0t have to work too hard to get it back on track.
Before you sit down with your teenager to talk, be sure you get your thoughts in order.
Every parent of a teen can tell you that they begin a conversation thinking they have some modicum of control, and end up screaming and slamming doors and getting nowhere.
So, you need to plan your conversation. Sit down and write some notes, organize your thoughts into a logical sequence.
Think about how to begin so that you don0t set your teen off from the opening sentence.
If the discussion is going to be particularly difficult, you can practice it with someone else.
Have the person with whom you are practicing play […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles

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