If you’re considering becoming a foster parent in the state of Georgia but can’t decide if it’s something you want to pursue just yet, let us first say that we understand. Foster parenting is a big decision and not one that should be made lightly.

Becoming a foster parent and welcoming a child into your home comes with a lot of benefits and a number of unique challenges. Before taking the step to become a registered foster parent in Georgia, let us offer four honest reasons as to why you should:

You’ll Be the Difference for a Child in Need

Children who enter foster care in Georgia do not do so because of something they did or did not do. They enter foster care as a result of abuse, neglect, or lack of safety at home. Children who become foster kids are caught in the crossfire, so to speak, of their parents’ choices or the chaos at home.

When a child is removed from their biological home, they need a place to turn to that is safe, stable, and welcoming. They need to know that they are protected and that everything is going to be okay. They need a place where they can process what is going on safely and without judgment.

When you open your home to a foster child in Georgia, you can be that safe haven a child needs. You can provide the shelter and love they need. You can provide the stability they might not experience otherwise. You can offer them assurance that they will be okay. You can help them work through their circumstances and process their thoughts, fears, emotions, and trauma in a safe and healthy way.

Becoming a foster parent automatically sets you up to be a difference maker in the life of a foster child, even if it’s only temporary.

You’ll Be Challenged (But in a Good Way)

Those involved in Georgia’s foster care system in any way will be the first to tell you that it is not always easy. You’ll be met with challenges you may have never had to face before, even if you’ve raised children of your own before.

It’s only natural that foster children enter foster homes with some amount of trauma. It’s a heavy experience to be pulled from your home environment and instantly be placed somewhere unfamiliar, especially for a child or teen. Chaos at home is one thing, but being removed from the only environment you’ve known before and placed with strangers is its own kind of trauma.

On top of the hardships that come from being removed from their home, foster children also struggle with the things that caused them to be removed in the first place. Whether it was their parent’s alcoholism, drug abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or overall neglect, the child is going to have some traumas that they won’t easily shake off as soon as they are in a safe and stable environment.

It can be intimidating and challenging to navigate the pain and emotions your foster child is going through, and you’re likely to hit rough patches along the way as you and your foster child work through things. However, the things you’ll learn during foster parent training, as well as your support team and other resources, will be available to help you work through each challenging moment and come out more prepared to tackle the next challenge.

You’ll Reap All the Loving Benefits of Parenting 

Yes, foster care in Georgia is challenging, but it is also ultra-rewarding. There is so much love to share with a child, and foster care gives you the opportunity to do just that and more. Whether you have experience raising children or have never parented before, you can provide the structure, support, and love a child needs.

Parenting is filled with moments of joy, contentment, learning, and growth, both for your child and for yourself. You can look forward to playing together in the house or at the park, cooking in the kitchen, doing homework in the living room, and so much more. You can expect to engage in teachable moments when your foster child learns something from you and moments when you learn something from your child.

No matter what your parenting style is and no matter what your parenting philosophies are, as long as you provide loving care, stability, and support to your foster child, you can expect to reap the benefits and rewards that only foster parenting can deliver.

You Can Inspire Others to Get Involved With Foster Care

Your choice to become a foster parent in Georgia is not a choice you’ll make in a vacuum. Your friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances will watch you on your journey as you open your heart and home to the children who need safety and stability.

As the ones around you watch your journey, they may become inspired to do the same, further helping the children in Georgia who need a foster home to go to. Those close to you can see firsthand what being a foster parent entails, and it can stir in them the desire to follow suit.

Your involvement is not a guarantee that your friends, family, and others will also become foster parents. Still, the possibility is there—all it takes is that first person to make a change and affect the ones around them.

Are you ready to join the other foster parents in Georgia and welcome a child into your home? Talk to the team at Generational Child Care about getting started.

We would love to speak with you about what it means to become a foster parent, what you can expect as a foster parent, and what it takes to get started on your journey to fostering. If you’re ready to find out more, give us a call today at 478-477-1289.

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