Being foster parents: the reasons to be encouraged to make the decision
Foster care consists of a protection measure for minors, which is different from adoption and is temporary. Do you dare to give protection and a home to a child who needs your help?
The foster care is a temporary protective measure which the guardianship and custody of a minor is given to a family or person, in order to feed him , watch over him, serve, give company, educate and generally give you a comprehensive education. The family or person who takes in the minor must comply with all the obligations set forth in article 173 of the Civil Code, provided that his biological family cannot take care of him.
This measure is a beautiful way to help children who do not have a functional home , you are giving them the love, company and protection that at the moment they do not have, with the aim that in the future (when their biological family has overcome their difficulties ) can return to them. It is important to clarify that foster care is NOT an adoption , therefore, it is TEMPORARY, never definitive.What does this mean? That after a while the minors will return to their biological family again or, if this is not possible, with a family that can adopt them. In adoption, you have a legal bond with the minor where the child’s homeland becomes protested. That is, a relationship of filiation is created between the adopters and the adoptee with identical rights to those that any parent has with their child. In foster care, the protested homeland can be held by the parents, even if they are not allowed to be with the minors.
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REASONS TO BE FOSTER PARENTS
Here we leave you with a series of reasons why you can encourage yourself to be foster parents. If you have ever considered it, keep reading below because it can help you make a decision.
1- You contribute to the healthy growth of young children. It is well known that children need to bond with at least one attachment figure from the time they are babies. Unfortunately there are little ones who do not have that opportunity. Other times if they manage to establish it but in a short time they must separate from it, breaking that affective bond. When children are under 6 years of age and there is no one who can take care of them, they enter official protection centers, which does not provide them with the sufficient stability they need.
Therefore, for them to grow, develop and mature efficiently, a child needs an attachment figure with which to bond, that will determine that they reach adolescence and adulthood with a healthy self-esteem and self- confidence. However, in a protection center it is difficult for this to happen because they are in charge of a whole team of people, different professionals who are there working in shifts and who have their own family waiting for them at home, therefore, the degree of involvement will not be the same . As a consequence, it is difficult for a child to be able to bond with an adult under these conditions, not at least in the same way as if they were fostered.
2- You help people who are going through a bad time. Foster parents not only help the minors, but also the original family. Many parents are in a situation without resources in which, unfortunately, they cannot properly care for their children. They can be due to incarceration, legal issues, addictions, hospital admissions for chronic diseases, etc. You take care of the minors and help those people who cannot take care of their children, you are doing them a great favor. At first, there are biological parents who may be reluctant to foster parents, however they end up understanding the situation when it is explained to them.
3- You teach values to your children. If you have children and you decide to become a foster family, be clear that you are going to be an example for your children to follow. You are teaching values as important as love, generosity, commitment or sacrifice for others. Also, if you have an only child who is not in school yet, it is a good way for him to socialize with someone other than his parents.
4- You give stability to minors at risk. During childhood and adolescence it is important to have a fixed place, a routine, something safe to hold on to . In a reception center, everything is changing, the educators, colleagues who arrive and colleagues who leave … There is hardly time to establish friendships. If you take in a minor, regardless of their age, you give them the opportunity to have a place to call home, a place where they can take shelter when they feel unsafe. You are also giving them privacy, a space of their own in which they feel comfortable and relaxed.
5- You share your love with other people. If you have always considered yourself loving people, you will love the fact of being foster parents because it is what the minors need the most, unconditional affection.
FEARS TO FACE
When you decide to convert your family into a foster family, some fears always come to mind. What if I don’t get to love the child? What if I can’t control it? What if he doesn’t accept me? Surely all parents who have decided to do so have had those same questions.
WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE ADVICE OF PROFESSIONALS
Eventually, there will be difficult times that you will have to deal with, however, caring for someone else and helping their life be better is worth it.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.