How to Start a Relationship with Birth Parents

By January 30, 2020 Blog
Building a relationship with a birth parent of a child in our care can be the most beautiful yet challenging thing we ever experience. It will never go as planned or expected, so we should be ready to expect exactly that…the unexpected. 
Our children have such strong loyalty to their parents, no matter their past experiences together. It is important to remember that birth parents are not the enemy though. As foster parents, our top priority is to advocate for and champion our kids, but we also need to be a cheerleader for their parents too. No matter what, God’s hand is upon these relationships, our child’s life, and our foster care journey.
Building this relationship with a birth parent can be so intimidating. Where do we even start? Check out these great resources that help us navigate this well.
Love Mother Blog

10 Tips on Connecting with Birth Mom

“I hope you find these tips helpful in creating a relationship with birth mom. I am always nervous the first time I meet her. I never know what she might be like, I only know the child’s state and the reasons they came into care. Just try to put on your glasses of grace and support her in any way you can!

These tips can make all the difference in the world for this very unique relationship.”

READ THE FULL POST →
The Forgotten Podcast

Navigating Birth Parent Relationships

As foster or adoptive parents, we often feel at a loss of how to help our kids process the complexity of emotions surrounding their birthparents. In this episode, you will hear a message that our host, Jami Kaeb, gave to a group of foster and adoptive parents this past Spring at CAFO 2019 Summit. Listen in as Jami focuses on 3 areas: helping your child process their feelings about their birth parents, caring for and pursuing a relationship with your child’s birth parent, and creating and maintaining healthy boundaries.

LISTEN IN HERE →
Foster the Family Blog

Back + Forth Journal: Building a Relationship with Biological Parents

“One of the most helpful tools I’ve found to build a relationship with my foster children’s biological parents is a back and forth journal. It’s a pretty simple idea, but many people feel intimidated by the idea of communicating with biological parents and are searching for direction. So if you’re looking to start building with your kids’ parents and don’t know where to start, I hope this serves you!”

READ THE FULL POST →

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