#Guest post
If you’re already a full-time parent with children old enough for school, you may be considering fostering, which is a great way to achieve a sense of fulfilment and give something back. However, foster children come from all types of backgrounds and can bring complications into the home. Therefore, you need to have honest conversations with your birth children and put in plenty of prep work. Below, we’ll let you in on six tips for blending birth and foster children.
Practice Open Communication
Fostering is a great way to add value to your life, but children from different backgrounds can bring a different dynamic into your home. Your birth children will likely come across plenty of emotions attached to the foster child, and they need to feel able to voice them safely. Therefore, you need to tell your children you’re always on hand if they have any concerns or need to talk. If you need support, any foster agency, including fcascotland.co.uk, will have resources to help.
Avoid Sugar-coating Information
Foster children come from a variety of backgrounds including homes with abuse and neglect. The chances are that any foster child that comes into your home will have a set of particular needs, which may impact your birth children. Therefore, you need to practice some real talk by telling them about the foster child’s background. Preparing them ahead of time will help dissipate any brewing issues.
Spend One-on-One Time with Birth Children
Whether you’re fostering on a short or long-term basis, taking care of the child is a full-time responsibility. However, you need to schedule a time to spend one-on-one time with your birth children. The last thing you want to do is make them feel undervalued in their own homes.
Stick With Good Behaviour
Children are impressionable, meaning your birth children may try to copy bad behaviours bought in by foster children. Therefore, you need to be honest about their background and explain why they’re acting a certain way. Further, tell them that bad behaviour is not acceptable and continue with the same punishments and rewards. When your children understand why a foster child is displaying bad behaviour, they’re more likely to support you.
Build Positive Relationships
The majority of children will find commonality on their own, whether that be a favourite game, toy, or interest. Having your birth children and foster child hit it off from the beginning is hard and you may need to facilitate it. You can do this by arranging activities for the whole family and encouraging positive relationships.
Prepare For the End
After the settling-in period, your birth and foster child will feel a strong bond. Therefore, you need to prepare your birth children to ensure they understand the foster placement is only temporary. When it does come to an end, you need to provide a safe space for your children to communicate their feelings.
Bringing foster children into your family home can cause upset to birth children if you’re not prepared. Follow the advice above and you’re more likely to have a positive healthy household for all.