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The service to children provided by foster families is enormous. Foster care expert Emil Bladwin encourages us to remember and celebrate these families.

Continue reading Foster Parenting: Celebrate the Vision

In light of National Adoption month, I revisited this article and thought, while amazingly short, that whole idea of losing your sight but not your vision is so poignant and relevant to the experience of foster care. It seems to me that fostering is ALL about vision, and I even think that, in many ways, you have to go into it a little bit "blind" to make it work. If you go into fostering with preconceived notions of the experience, and "expect" it to be either difficult or easy (depending on your world view and what you've heard about it from others), I think it would make the experience much more difficult for everyone. Putting the limitations of "expectation" on children that have been through a difficult time will both inhibit them from excelling (because there are many foster children that have managed to become strong and optimistic individuals in spite of their challenging circumstances), or else doom them to being unable to live up to high expectations. I think the "vision" in foster care is all about the ability to adjust and be flexible to each specific child's needs, and to see their future both positively and flexibly. "Vision" is all about "expecting" the unknown and being prepared to be surprised in wonderful ways. Being a little bit "blind" can actually improve the experience!