Top Five Qualities of a Great Foster Parent – Being a foster parent comes with very unique challenges and surprises! If you’ve thought of starting your journey as a foster parent, there are five qualities you need in order to make it as a supportive foster parent. Learn more about these five qualities right here on Newsymom!
Helping hands comes to you in partnership with COAD4Kids.
Being a foster parent takes a strong heart. Opening your home, family, and heart to practical strangers takes a special kind of person. With the rise of displaced children in our foster care system, the need for these special people is skyrocketing!
Top Five Qualities of a Great Foster Parent
If you’ve been considering becoming a foster parent, these are the five qualities you’ll need to possess in order to become a supportive foster parent to your foster children:
Open Mindedness
A great foster parent needs the ability to keep an open mind, to be willing to learn and grow. As a foster parent, you’re opening your home to many different strangers with different backgrounds and in turn, to learn from others. It may seem scary, but the opportunity is limitless!
Great Sense of Humor
This one is important to have for your own sanity. Going through the process of becoming and remaining a foster parent can be tough. You’ll have sleepless nights, difficult kids, and learn some heart-wrenching stuff about their situations. If you can see the silver lining and be the light in the darkness, you’ll help your foster children and your sanity!
Empathy
Along with open-mindedness is the ability to have an open heart: empathy. Being able to understand the feelings of the children you’re caring for will make you understand why they act out in the ways that they do. In turn, you’ll also be a much more supportive parent when you show those children that you’ll be in their corner no matter what.
Stability
The placements you get as a foster parent all have one thing in common: Instability. These kids are placed in your care because of the simple fact that they do not have stable caregivers. Showing that you are a stable, supportive parent is the one thing they need most! If you say you’re going to do it, do it. Follow through your words with actions.
Adaptability
The life of a foster parent is ever changing. Your schedule is all over the place, you have tons of appointments added in, your home may be seeing multiple placements, and you’re doing all of this with your existing obligations in place. The ability to be flexible and adapt to changing conditions is essential for great foster parents!
So, do you have these qualities to be a wonderful foster parent? Are you ready to learn more about becoming a foster parent? If so, take a look at these additional resources to help you start learning about Foster Parenthood!
More Resources to Dip Your Toes In
If you’re ready to take the dive to learn more about becoming a foster parent, give these articles a read:
- Requirements for Becoming a Foster Parent
- What to Expect When You’re Fostering
- Emotional Challenges: Boosting, Bonding, and Breaking Down
- Fostering and Guardianship
- The Trauma Response
- Three Reasons Why You Should Keep Siblings Together in Foster Care
- Can’t We Just Get Along?
- Resources to Help New Philadelphia Foster Parents
Then, when you’re ready to take the next step to care for a child in need, send an email to our friends at COAD4Kids-New Philadelphia at foster5@coadinc.org, call (330) 364-8882, or follow them on Facebook for more information!
Melissa Klatt
Reporting
I’ve always been interested in becoming a mother despite my lack of interest in pursuing marriage, so I was thinking of taking in a foster child instead. I’m glad you emphasized the importance of empathy when it comes to being a foster parent since understanding the feelings of the children will help us understand why they act the way they do and determine how we can show our support to them better. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind while I look for a foster care service nearby that I might visit soon.