5 Things I Wish You Understood About Foster Care

I’ll be the first to admit that foster care is complicated. There are a lot of confusing parts and strange aspects. I know that most people do their best to understand and be supportive, but it doesn’t always feel that way. The real issue I’ve found is that, many times, people are operating with false information. There are also a lot of assumptions or misunderstandings. So, with the help of some foster parent friends of mine, I’ve come up with five things I wish you understood about foster care.

5. Foster parents are not saints, and we are not crazy (for the most part). Being a foster parent is hard work, yes. But, being a parent at all is hard work. Saying we are saints, or even crazy, makes it sound like we do this without struggle or support. Foster care is such a struggle and we do need support. Some days it feels like we cannot go on, sometimes we lock ourselves in the bathroom and cry, and sometimes we yell and curse into our pillows (I’m fairly certain that cursing disqualifies us from sainthood). Foster parents are parents—trying our hardest to figure out how to do the absolute best for our children, every day.


Liz Young
Liz Young
Liz and her husband are foster parents in Illinois. They adopted their three boys through foster care. Liz shares personal experiences from her crazy journey of foster parenting at The Crazy House

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