Crawling Through Grief in Foster Care

My dear friend, I’m sorry you’re in this place of walking (or crawling) through grief. I’m sorry you’ve experienced (or are preparing to experience) loss. I know there is nothing to be said to take away the deep sadness and sorrow you feel right now, but I do know that there is something powerful in having people willing to acknowledge your grief and quietly sit with you in it. I want you to know that you, my friend, are seen as you navigate the loss you’re grieving. My prayer is that these three resources we’ve compiled will help you feel that, and you’ll see that my words to you are not empty but full of love and care.

Good Grief: Navigating Loss in Foster Care

Foster care begins with loss—a family broken, unable to be together. This reality weighs on biological parents who long to be reunited whether that’s a possibility or not, children who are trying to make sense of all that is happening, caseworkers who care deeply for both the biological and foster families on their caseloads, and foster families who struggle to know how to help the kiddos in their homes navigate this hard journey while also managing their own emotions. Loss feels anything but good. And yet, our guest, Trisha, an adoptee and adoptive mom, brings a message of hope to us. Rooted in the promises of God, we can mourn loss and see our grief as a gift.

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When Grief Hits

Foster care comes with grief, no matter its outcome.

Whether you’re walking the road towards reunification and you’re mourning the loss of a child’s presence in your home or you’re holding onto each moment knowing that the day they leave is drawing near, grief is there.

Or, maybe your child’s story is going to end or has ended in adoption. Grief is still a steady companion amid the joy. Your child will not grow up under the care of the family they were born into, and your heart is heavy for their loss and their future questions about why this happened. You grieve not being able to do anything to change that loss.

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Walking Through Grief with Hope

A child’s foster care journey begins with loss, loss of what they know, who they love, and all that is familiar. Grief follows right behind and exhibits itself in various ways. As a foster parent, you and those close to you are also well-acquainted with loss and grief as the very nature of your role is to love and let go. This is true of today’s guest, Natalie Brenner, who shares the hope she clings to when life is dark.

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