When my husband and I decided to become foster parents, we knew one thing for certain: It would be a challenge. We knew it?d be hard to love kids and then let them go. We wondered how our children would react to sharing their parents and their home. We expected that there would be a lot of people who wouldn?t understand our decision. But we also believed that opening our home to children who needed love and security would be rewarding and worthwhile. I have to say that, over these past four years, I haven?t once regretted our decision. It has shaped us in ways I never could have imagined.
There are still things I wish I had known that would have made things a little easier. If we were sitting down, having a heart-to-heart before you took the leap into fostering children, here?s what I would tell you.
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How foster parenting changed the kind of mom I am

1. Find a support network

Foster parenting can be an isolating experience. Not many people understand what it?s like to welcome new children into your home, to parent alongside a biological parent who is a virtual stranger and to work so closely with Children?s Aid. Most of your friends won?t have experience with parenting through trauma or loving a child who leaves. Most of them won?t u...