Caring for foster children is not easy. While coping with the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult for everyone, foster parents are facing an even bigger challenge. That said, with challenge comes opportunity.
We have an opportunity during this strange time to paint a new picture of what coping with stress looks like for children in foster care who are often the victims of trauma, abuse, and neglect. We can show these children that families can come together an support one another in times of need.
Tools to Help
In the video below, I share a few tools parents can use in caring for foster children. As a former foster child myself and a licensed foster parent, I know firsthand the work foster parents do is incredibly important, but also very difficult.
To all foster parents, thank you. I offer the following quote from the forever wise Mr. Rogers, “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem. Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.”
Looking for more ways to help your children? Check out “Helping Young Kids Cope with COVID-19” by my colleague, Jessica Pladsen, MA, LMFT.
