Compassionate Ways to Make a Foster Child Feel Safe and Loved (For the First-Time Foster Parent)
Bringing a child home from foster care is one of the memorable moments for new parents. However, the sudden transition from an adoption home to a new, strange place is difficult for the child.
That said, you can create a comfortable space for your child with considerate foster parenting in Franklin County, OH. Keep reading to understand how you can create a safe and nurturing space for the child you bring to your home!
- Carry realistic expectations
Whether you welcome a younger child or a teenager, the transition isn’t easy for either. Even though you might be parenting the kid the way you find best, they might have had a different and independent life so far. Forceful disciplinary action to immediately make the child accustomed to your routine and lifestyle might be unreasonable and difficult to accommodate.
You must take baby steps with your expectations and understand that all good things take time.
- Know about their mental health issues
Your foster child might have some childhood trauma preventing them from fully opening up to you. About 400,000 children living in foster homes, including Franklin County, Ohio, come from troubled households and difficult backgrounds.
By analyzing the child’s mental health issues, you can create a space for them to embrace your new home. With research, you can understand exactly what triggers them and how you can help.
- Spend time with them to build trust
Usually, children from foster care homes do not find it easy to bond in the beginning. However, attachment can be nurtured if the foster parents are around to provide support and assist with daily tasks.
Some parents take a leave or start working from home so that they are around to accustom the child to their new home. But, if leave is not possible, you can plan events and picnics with the child during weekends to help them adapt quickly.
- Learn to be patient
Feeling secure and loved doesn’t happen overnight. There might be days when your child will not listen to anything you say. But, in this case, you need to be patient and compassionate with the child.
Non-responsive attitudes shouldn’t act as a deterrent for you. Children take their time to trust, and it happens only when they see consistent behavior from you.
You can establish consistency by planning a movie night every Friday or tucking them in bed every night. As soon as they adjust to the pattern, they will appreciate the safety and reliability they can feel in the home environment.
- Participate in what interests them the most
Doing an activity together like foster parenting in Franklin County, OH, is the best bonding exercise. You can encourage them to pursue their interests by taking them to a class they might enjoy and participating in the activity. With this approach, you can show the child your support and observe their talents to nurture in the future.
In a nutshell
Being a parent in itself is a tough job. But, making a foster child with emotional trauma feel secure and loved through foster parenting has its own complex challenges.
But, by including the aforementioned compassionate methods in your parenting style, you can create a safe and comforting space for the child to grow up in.
