Foster Fridays: What Year 2 Taught Me

In October, my partner and I celebrated the 2 year anniversary of fostering our son.

I was reflecting this month on lessons that second year gave me.

Community is Everything

My first year showed me its importance, and this past year reinforced that. It is so important to surround yourself with people who understand what you’re doing. I received so many resources and much support this year. From book recommendations to respite care, I was made even more aware of how much I can not do this alone.

My Tolerance For Nonsense Decreased Significantly

This was so important for me, an absolute push-over, to experience. Foster care has definitely made me more assertive, and more dedicated to setting boundaries. Noelle Owen taught us in one of our recent support groups that by drawing lines with bio-families, you’re actually doing them a favor. Boundaries are part of any healthy relationship, and a lot of bio-parents weren’t able to learn this from experience. You’re modeling a skill that will serve them to learn.

EVEN MORE Fun Lessons About Relinquishing Control

Next month we will have been waiting for an important court date for a full year. Six or seven months in, this was killing me. Foster Care has forced me out of my comfort zone in more ways and more times than I can count, but waiting for this date really pushed me. However, as more and more time passed, I felt myself loosening up little by little, and trusting in God’s timing. I’ve told people the first year of a foster case is the hardest, and apparently the first 6 months of waiting for a life-changing court session are also the most difficult.

The past year has had it’s ups and downs. I’ll be so relieved when I receive notice that a date has been set for our hearing. The things I’ve gained this year though have made me stronger and better equipped to continue on in this calling to serve kids in the system.