Extended reading:
Establishing relations with foster children
There is such a joke: Having relations means no relations and having no relations means having relations. But to foster children relation building is critical to opening their mind. A child with no blood relation and having no family and relatives is like paratroop dropping to a strange environment. But how to build relation? Use your heart and the children would feel it.
“Show more concern for the foster children. Spend more time communicating and talking with them. Bring them out to play when you’re free, or do exercise or go for a walk nearby your home. This way, they would feel you’re approachable and the sentiment relation would naturally be good.” With care from your heart, regardless of conventional questions and answers at the beginning, the children would gradually find out that there is a way out, and when in need of dialog, answer for doubts, venting of emotions, there is always someone there quietly accompanying them.
“The smaller the children, the easier to build up relation; after prolonged staying, the children running here and there would look upon you as their dear family member.” Mommy Wu would arrange plenty of events, for instance, go walking and running in the park regularly every week, and sponsor a family tour each month on a regular basis. To these foster children, “they are like my own children; I take care of them in the same way as I take care of my own children.” Although bigger children have their own ideas, chatting during regular dining or getting along while watching TV, the foster children also would gradually adapt to such living style.
Reference: Interview of Daddy and Mommy Wu compiled by the Hope Workshop team