New Foster Parent

[mrswright70]

I'm a very new foster parent to my brother's two sons ages 6 and 4. It was an emergency situation and so my husband and I had very little time to prepare ourselves and 2 other children for the arrival of our nephews. I have had very little contact with my brother for the last several years and therefore the boys do not know me or my family at all. We've had them for almost as week and speaking honestly it has been a big challenge. I don't know exactly what the situation was that they were removed from but they seem very happy and almost relieved to be here with us. There are several behavioral problems that have shown up already as well as both having troubles with bed wetting and accidents in their clothes. I'm just feeling very overwhelmed and would love to hear some advice or encouragement from anyone who has dealt with a similar experience.

[FosterMom78]

Hi,
I am in a similar situation with kinship fostering. We have been fostering a relative for the past 11 months now. I will tell you that kinship fostering is harder than anything! My husband and I have had to deal with more family drama than anything. The child adjusted extremely well and unfortunately now we will have to send him back to his BM for the holidays. Like you, beforehand we had little contact with them so the child was "new" to us. In the beginning it takes a bit to adjust but I will tell you that kids are extremely resilient! Especially if they are in a better environment. You will notice a them starting to adapt after about a month. Stay firm with your discipline and treat them as you treat your own. It is all very overwhelming but know that you are doing a wonderful thing by giving them a chance to succeed. Give lots of hugs and you'll get lots of hugs in return!