Classes 4&5

So 2 Thursdays ago we completed class 4 and marked the middle of our classes. We talked about discipline and they had some very good ideas and techniques. When it comes to disciplining children in foster care it is often seen as more of a teaching moment. These children have lived in situations that many of us could not even imagine, as a result they often act out as a way of coping with their feelings in this situation. It is imperative that Mike and I pay attention to what these behaviors are and how we are going to address them in order to show the children the correct way to express and deal with these feelings. I think this will be harder than it sounds. 

Last night's class was my favorite so far. The first half of the class was a panel of parents and a lawyer. We heard their stories and were able to ask them questions. The lawyer was a wealth of information about the legal system. Not only has she worked with our agency for 15 years but has also served as a guardian ad litem. This means she is for the child only and his/her best interest. She sees both sides (birth parents and foster parents) and is like the eyes and ears for the judge. After the panel we went on to discuss cultural awareness because many of these children come from an extremely different culture than us. We talked about different cultures and ways we can help a child learn about and embrace their culture while in our house. 

We have two more classes left: administering medication and first aid/CPR, not to mention over 50 pages of forms.