Every time I post about our foster adventures, I get emails with questions about fostering, which I love! This has quickly become a passion of mine and I enjoy talking about the good {and the bad}.

Here are my thoughts on if you are ready to be a foster parent…

10. You don’t mind your entire life being an open book. Literally. The moment you decide to move forward with foster care your life is documented over and over again.

9. Being finger printed doesn’t scare you.

8. You are able to free up your schedule to attend hours of training, some relevant and some not-so relevant.

7. Having access to extra clothing, diapers, baby items, books, toys, etc is very helpful. Sometimes the agency will provide them, but many times it’s what you have on hand.

6. You are able to be flexible. Very, very flexible. Even after a year, it still surprises me how quickly situations change and children are always caught in the balance.

5. You have a strong support system. Having a good case worker is awesome, but having a group of friends who you can call when you need to laugh or cry or vent is priceless.

4. You understand that while you are paid a stipend while you care for a child, it will not make you rich, and you probably spend more than you take in.

3. You can listen without judging. You will instantly learn more than you wanted to know about a situation, and it can be overwhelming.

2. You are able to not gossip about the child that you are caring for. Even little ones hear more than we are aware, and it’s so important for them to know that they are in a safe place with people they can trust.

1. You can drop everything at a moment’s notice when that phone rings and be ready to go. When a child needs a placement it generally happens within 24 hours, often times sooner.

What do you think? Are you ready to be a foster parent?

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