• Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Become a Foster Parent
Donate
Plummer Youth Promise
  • About Us
    • Mission, Values, & History
    • Leadership
    • Fiscal & Annual Reports
    • Careers
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Our Future Campus
    • Contact Us
  • Future Campus
  • Our Approach
    • Overview
    • Our Model
  • Programs
    • Residential Programs
      • Group Home
      • Supported Apartment
      • Community Apartments
    • Foster Parent Program
    • Intensive Permanency Services
    • Permanency Mediation
  • Consulting
    • Strategic Consulting
    • Our Team
    • Contact Us
  • News & Stories
  • Get Involved
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Join Promise Circle
    • Become a Fundraiser
    • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
News & Stories

Successful Foster Parenting: A Thousand Little Steps

October 7, 2016

You’ve decided to become a foster parent, are licensed and trained, and have welcomed your first child into your home. A few months pass and friends and family start asking “how’s it going?” You respond with a brief “fine” or “every day is an adventure.” But later, when you ask yourself the same question, you struggle to find the right answer.

Foster parenting has been different than you expected it to be. When your foster child came to live with you, you were told to keep your expectations in check. And you’ve tried to do that. But sometimes it seems hard to identify whether your child (or you) have made any progress at all.  This may be the time to take stock of all you’ve accomplished. If your foster child has been safe, warm, fed and rested in your home, that’s progress. If he is attending school regularly, that’s progress. If melt downs are happening with less intensity and frequency, that’s progress. If he or she is beginning to make more eye contact with you and other family members, that’s progress too.

Measure your own growth as a foster parent in equally small steps.  If you’re getting better at predicting what “sets off” your child, that’s progress. If you’ve found ways to help redirect some of his anger in ways that work better for him and those around him, that’s progress. Without even noticing, you may have modified some of your daily routines so that your foster child feels more a part of your family life.  That’s progress.

Settling into in a new home and family is a huge task for any child. And, integrating a new person into your home and family is also a huge task. Give yourself credit for the things that are going well. Remember that every little step you and your foster child take together brings him closer to the safety and stability he deserves and you want for him.

So, when you ask yourself “how’s it going?”, keep in mind that success as a foster parent is best measured in small increments that may seem insignificant now, but that in the long run, will matter profoundly for you and your foster child.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://plummeryouthpromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/step-by-step-225x300-1.jpg 300 225 competenow /wp-content/uploads/2023/04/logo-1-1.png competenow2016-10-07 19:01:192023-04-29 07:11:13Successful Foster Parenting: A Thousand Little Steps

Latest News

  • Plummer celebrates breaking ground on trauma-informed facility
  • Anthony’s Story: Together with family at last
  • Plummer receives $1M in state funds towards upcoming construction project
  • A Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Youth
  • Celebrating Foster Care Month 2023

Donate

Join Our Promise Circle With A Recurring Gift Or Make a One Time Gift

Donate Now

About Us

Mission, Values & History

Leadership

Fiscal & Annual Reports

Careers

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Our Future Campus

Contact Us

Our Programs

Residential Programs

Foster Parent Program

Intensive Permanency Services

Permanency Mediation

Consulting Services

Strategic Consulting

Our Team

Contact Us

Get Involved

Donate

Leave a Legacy

Join Promise Circle

Become a Fundraiser

Volunteer

Our Approach

Overview

Our Model

News & Stories

Latest News & Stories

Follow Us

Sign up for our Newsletter!

Newsletter Signup
Copyright © 2023 - Plummer Youth Promise. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. Web Design by Tomo360.
  • About Us
    • Mission, Values, & History
    • Leadership
    • Fiscal & Annual Reports
    • Careers
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Our Future Campus
    • Contact Us
    • Back
  • Future Campus
  • Our Approach
    • Overview
    • Our Model
    • Back
  • Programs
    • Residential Programs
      • Group Home
      • Supported Apartment
      • Community Apartments
      • Back
    • Foster Parent Program
    • Intensive Permanency Services
    • Permanency Mediation
    • Back
  • Consulting
    • Strategic Consulting
    • Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Back
  • News & Stories
  • Get Involved
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Join Promise Circle
    • Become a Fundraiser
    • Volunteer
    • Back
  • Donate

    Quick Links

  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Become a Foster Parent

"*" indicates required fields