Opening your home to a foster child is the toughest job you’ll ever love, says Doug Lynch, a law enforcement officer and foster father in Surprise, Arizona.
He just wrote a great piece that’s a must-read for anyone who has ever wanted — with all their heart — to connect with someone in need.
Here’s a excerpt:
“The child arrives on the doorstep of a house where nothing is familiar to them. They will be scared and angry. They are entering a totally foreign and unknown world. This is the point of impact for the child and foster parent.
“What happens in those first critical minutes when child and foster parent meet can set the tone for the entire relationship.
“From the foster parents’ perspective, you typically get very little notification before a child arrives. You will have very little information about the circumstance behind the child’s entry into foster care. You get a phone call to see if you can take a child, and then a short time later they are at your door.
“You want to ease this child’s anxiety, but what do you say?”
