1. Adapting
2. Adhering to the child's needs
3. Making the kids feel loved and safe
4. Balancing family life
5. Becoming apart of the child's life
6. Behavior problems
7. Being able to accept things children with all theirs problems and just letting be themselves.
8. Being able to love and care enough to make up for what they missed, so they will be able to become well adjusted, and active members of society.
9. Being committed to someone that is not a direct member of your family.
10. Bringing a child in to our family not knowing how long they will stay.
11. Changing parenting styles to fit each child
12. Convincing a child he is worthy of love.
13. Dealing with physically and emotionally abused children
14. Discipline
15. Finding families - but I'm one and I can't get the process started.
16. Finding good homes that match with the right child
17. Finding good people to care for these youngsters and help them find themselves
18. Finding homes which will nurture children
19. Finding homes, cutting some of the red tape
20. Finding people to adopt foster kids.
21. Finding suitable homes--meaning matching the right home with the right child.
22. Finding the time to meet the children's needs
23. Getting people to open their hearts and homes to provide some stability and love for these kids.
24. Getting real support
25. Getting started
26. Getting the child adjusted and helping the child feel safe I assume.
27. Getting through the qualification process.
28. Getting to be a Foster/Adoptive parent.
29. Giving the child back to parents
30. Giving the children a sense of security.
31. Giving unconditional love
32. Helping the children adjust to their new environment.
33. I am not a foster parent yet, but for us, the greatest challenge probably would be integration into our family with our existing children
34. I would assume it would be adjustments in a home where
35. Instilling confidence and trust in a child
36. Just trying to make a difference in someone's life.
37. Knowing how to cope with a troubled child
38. Knowing that I can try and help a child and give them the love and attention they need and deserve
39. Knowing what special needs you can and cannot manage
40. Learning about the child, loving them and them loving you back
41. Learning to let the child go when you have no choice.
42. Learning to take care of disabled children.
43. Letting go of children I love
44. Letting the children go to permanent homes
45. Limited resources
46. Making a child feel wanted and needed
47. Making a new connection with a new child and building that child's trust
48. Making sure that the children get the love and attention that they need.
49. Making sure the children are always safe.
50. Making the child understand what's going on
51. Making the children feel comfortable and at home
52. Working with the natural parent
53. Making time to become a parent if career is demanding.
54. Matching the needs of the child with the right family
55. Maybe the process and the time.
56. Not becoming to involved with the children.
57. Not enough families, for so many children that need a home.
58. Not getting emotionally attached to the children in your care. It's heart breaking when a child is taken from your home for whatever reason.
59. Not knowing what to expect as far as the children's behaviors are concerned.
60. Not knowing what type of challenges the kids are facing until they are already in your home...trying to get the help they need, and fighting with doctors as to what Medicaid will cover.
61. Obtaining the trust of the children that a new stranger will love them and help them in their need and not getting attached.
62. Older children, and helping them to understand that we are not against them. That we are trying to help them or their families.
63. Ones private life...
64. Overcoming the reputation built by a few
65. Proving to the children that they are special and deserve the best life has to offer them.
66. Proving you will always love them no matter what happen or what problems may arise
67. Special needs children
68. Spreading the love and finding homes that are suitable.
69. That the child gets attached to you and vise versa and then they get removed from your home
70. The application process
71. The beginning stages getting everyone on the same track.
72. The documentation! As a new foster parent I am totally lost in how the agency works with CPS who works with us who works with the courts, etc.
73. The greatest challenge in foster parenting would-be to gain the trust of the child
74. The greatest challenge is in finding quality people who are able and willing to foster. I also think that even with all the improvements in the speed with which children move toward resolution that more could be done to get new foster/adoptive parents through the system faster. There are a great many people who would be willing to foster or to adopt, but the process is so lengthy that they lose sight of the children they wanted to help.
75. The impact that angry children could have on your current family unit--such as a child that wants to argue or act rebelliously towards his or her foster parents, and you may worry about how this might influence the children you already have . . .
76. The ones that did not attach (with RAD)
77. The system. Caseworkers are overworked. Children slip through the cracks.
78. Trying to provide a stable home for children who already have problems
79. Trying to recruit families of color, as you can see most of the waiting children are of color.
80. Understanding and meeting the needs of any child is a challenge.
81. Understanding children
82. Understanding, relating, and working through the barriers built by neglect abuse and sometimes lack of love
83. When a child goes back home never seeing them again
84. When foster parents get attached to some of the children, and the children get attached to the parents. That is very hard to deal with, but in the end you just hope that you have a good caseworker who knows the child's desires and dreams, and helps them to be placed with a good adoptive family.
85. Will you make a good foster parent
86. Working all the visits and meetings and children's activities into your schedule.