Thank you for your channel! I’d love some advice on how to explain to a child/pre-teen that their parent (or guardian) surrendered their legal rights to custody? I’m new to foster care & I’ve tried… but I’m afraid the understanding is still lost in the child. Especially how the “law” makes it final & adults can’t just “change their mind” about them being able to “go home”? 😢
I’m a state representative from Kentucky and serve on several committees that impact foster care and kinship care. I’m always trying to learn more and your channel really helps! Reach out anytime if you have ideas or suggestions.
There's something really awesome about a state representative who has a real impact on the system taking the time to learn from people in the trenches. ❤️
I’m a single woman who just started working my first real job, and I’m trying to save enough money to realistically foster/adopt :) your channel is so inspiring!
It’s so lovely to meet you! I’ve been watching you for a while now and love the light you put out into the world with your videos. You help so many people. As for me, I’ve been homeless for some time now, and as someone who has experienced such intense lack of resources on and off, I aspire to foster and advocate for children in similar positions. I focus my educational endeavors on learning about Adultism and its effects on children, seeing kids as inferior and not fully developed humans. I am a huge advocate for childism (like feminism but for children) and aim to empower families to think about the possibility of building a better world for us all, not just a select few. I believe it takes a village to raise a child and if I can help my neighbors by temporarily fostering their biological children so they can get back on their feet and find the support they need, then I want to do that. I am focused on creating a self-sustainable homestead where we grow our own food and build our own shelter. I wish to be a part of the evolving landscape that is navigating through such an oppressive and purposefully broken and skewed system. I am completely against all forms of authoritarianism and hierarchical power structures and hope we can all begin cooperating more rather than being focused on our own individual efforts or nuclear families. Now, more than ever, we need to be there for each other! I hope we can inspire more foster parents to be as trauma-informed as you and your videos show. Thank you again for being so amazing and for your life-changing content!
I'm 25, live in the UK and I work with young people with autism. I'd really love to foster teens someday, but I'm a long long way from affording that kind of space, financially. I watch your content to learn more about fostering, and it's been very helpful to me.
Hi 👋! Thank you so much for you videos. They provide support, encouragement, and guidance to so many. I have had a desire to make a safe and loving place for kids since I was young. I studied early childhood education, taught preschool, and volunteered with kids that had additional needs. As I got a bit older I did lay counseling and mentoring of high school and college students. Then I volunteered with at risk youth. I lived with a family that fostered and then adopted two sisters. This gave me a front row seat to see the challenges, rewards, and tremendous need for more people to open up their homes and hearts to the thousands of kids in the system. I had the opportunity to volunteer with Fosterfull (Then called Office Moms and Dads) where we partnered with social workers to create a home like environment and provide care for kids that had just been removed from the home and were waiting for placement. Do you ever care for kids with special needs? That’s an interest of mine.
I'm a former foster youth. And I really appreciate you know your limits and don't take more kids than you can handle. What I remember from my time in care was so many other kids and homes that seemed fairly chaotic. I think this is where it really feels like homes are in it for the money because they're perhaps taking more kids for the stipend since they need more funds and get overwhelmed. There was one home I was in that there was a younger boy who liked to hit everyone else and the foster mom told the kids to resolve it themselves if you complained about him. I think there was 5-6 kids there and it was just not a good situation. I'm not sure I ever would want to foster, but these videos keep popping up in my UA-cam suggestions and it's helping me work thru my foster care trauma to see there's some good foster parents.
I'm glad you have the opportunity to work through some of your foster-care trauma. Know that some day, when you're in a good place, there are so many of us out here who would love to hear your story to and learn from your journey so we can teach future foster carers how to put the children at the center of the care they provide.
Thank you so much for sharing this @KatTheo431. Sounds like you have been through a lot. You are loved! I'm glad you are finding some solace through these videos too
Yay! Loved this one, so interesting. I'm in Canada and had an employee years ago who had aged out of foster care and had absolutely no support or family. It was clear that he was struggling with managing his temper among other things, and I could relate to that from my own poor upbringing and not having my needs met/learning how to manage big feelings as a kid. I did my best to help him out in any way that I could and the experience just really stayed with me. After covid I signed up to volunteer with my local Family and Children's Services to help with kids aging out of care. That's when I found your content, and even though I'm not directly fostering kids it's been really helpful for me to learn from you. Thank you!
@punkrocksmidge I do the same thing - and thankfully there seems to be more care / support for the kids in the 18-21 age group to help them age out and transition. But having "people" that they can count on is so important.
I am not in foster care, just a bio parent. Your advice gives me tools and perspective with my own kids. I also find that watching you role-play positive interactions prepares my brain to act more positively around my kids, as I have a good model to mimic. It is subconscious but works well !
I might win the weirdest comment award 😂, but: Your videos got recommend to me when I (40+ year old adult, no kids unfortunately) reseaeched a lot about attachment styles because I found out a (then ghosting ) friend was probably fearful avoidant and I'm secure but with anxious tendencies. I love kids, I'm a writer and I do write a lot of kids with not ideal backgrounds. Your videos started inspiring me and also feed my longing for child development knowledge. Fast forward to almost a year later, my former ghosting friend is back and "season 2" of our friendship is thriving, because a. I understand him better, b. I get a vague idea what could have made him that way (and me) and don't take things too personal anymore, like when he pushes me away metaphorically, c. your videos can surprisingly often help in ANY relationship, even adult to adult ones. And they also often feel like a virtual warm hug to me.
Greetings from Canada. I was a single foster momma in Ontario. Had to stop due to personal health challenges. I miss the little ones very much! I admire your expertise.
❤❤❤Amazing whole person! What a massive support for foster parents! I am not a foster parent, but this channel is inspirational for anyone never even considering being a foster, much like the documentary you watched as a teen-please keep going. Life hacks, self care, and practical how to RE-phrase regular or difficult conversations, you absolutely rock!
Hello Laura. I was neither a foster child, and nor am I a foster parent. I came across your channel in my recommended video suggestions and started watching all your content. I am in trauma-informed therapy for childhood abuse and neglect, and watching your videos literally helps soothe all the hurt places inside of me. I even told my therapist about your channel. I find your videos incredibly nurturing and healing. As you role-play, I imagine that I am that child you are talking to. You are playing a part in my recovery from childhood neglect and abuse, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart xx
thank you so much for sharing this @bluefirekin - I agree 1000% and do the same thing. It really does feel like she is talking to my inner child. Makes me tear up some times.
I never 'like' UA-cam videos... so the fact that I liked this one speaks very highly of you... From your comments (when our friends started having kids it seemed like a good time to start fostering) it sounds like you made a conscious choice not to have biological children. Would you ever adopt children placed with you in foster care? I'm a board certified pediatrician, single, and will be turning 50 in a few months. In May 2023 I completed an M.A. in Applied Child and Adolescent Development specializing in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. I left full-time medical practice in December 2021 because it was the right thing to do. We sold our practice a few years earlier, so I have a financial cushion, and I pick up work as alocum tenens pediatric hospitalist (filling in for practices that need help covering) and substitute teach in our public school district (primary in the preschool classroom, because those are "my peeps"). I always wanted children, but felt strongly that it isn't okay to have children to fulfill MY need. The reality my my job, my personality, and living in a rural community means I never found a spouse, so I don't have biological children. However, some of my patients' parents argue that I have hundreds of "my own" children. It is an honor when a parent acknowledges that you couldn't love their child more even if they were your own. I would love to do foster care, but I have ADHD and chronic disorganization/clutter issues. Before I could persue a license, I would need a professional organizer/declutterer to help me get my house in shape. I've been searching for someone like this for over a decade, but living in a rural area has made it difficult to find someone willing to travel to me! Yeah... that was more than anyone wanted to know. But if anyone from Minnesota makes it this far and knows of a declutterer who might be willing to travel two hours west of the Twin Cities, let me know! 😂
I have no kids, but do love their company. I watch your videos because i think the advice is useful for many situations. Plus your energy is wonderful.
I’m not even considering becoming a parent or a foster as I fell into animal rescue by accident (8cats - 2 dogs) but I love your videos. You have good vibes. ❤
Thanks for all you do, Laura. I'm not a foster parent, but I work in mental health in Canada, and I love seeing how your compassionate, trauma-informed approach can transfer over to other areas. When we work with people who have experienced involuntary mental health care, we find that their families' interests might not always align with theirs, and it's kind of analogous to how you describe working with foster children and their bio parents. Your judgement-free relational advice is so powerful and affirming.
Laura, thank you for giving visibility to adoption and foster care. I'm 21, and I've never been sure if I wanted to have kids. After discovering your channel I loved the idea of fostering and I considered it for a while, but I don't think I'm the right fit. However, you've made me think about adoption too, and I think that's the perfect option for me (in a few years, not yet). And I'm sure many others have had experiences like mine. You are helping thousands of kids by making these videos. Thank you
I love your videos, Laura! I’m a clinical social worker in the northeast and I am so inspired by the content you create and how much you celebrate and validate the fostering journey and the crucial role that foster parents have in kids’ lives. Thank you!!
Hi Laura, i am Sophie, a foster mom of a Babyboy living in Germany 👋 I really love your content, it is so helpful! Thank you! I feel like we have much in common 😊
Hi i am 20 years old was in the foster system myself form the age 4 to 18 and watching your videos is helping me learn more from the other side of foster care . I love how u know your limits and in the kids eyes last kids are better and it helps a lot when i was still in the care it felt better when there was mayeb 2 or 3 kids in the home and my foster dads let me do whatever I want to my room and they told me i could stay with them untill i get on my own feet.i show your videos to my foster dads and thank u so much for your videos. And with their help i am 20 living with my soon to be husband and thinking of fostering a teenager or a younger kiddo.
I’m from Germany, early thirties, and don’t have children nor anything to do with foster care - the algorithm just swept you into my UA-cam :-D To be frank, your content just gives me hope, that there are good people out there, trying to do the best for other people - and even teaching others how to do that! That’s just a really nice and positive input to get in today’s world. Some of my friends have had biological kids and I have god children, so learning about parenting generally is also nice 👍
We started with respite and babysitting for friends with foster kiddos. We now have The sweetest two week old baby! I love watching your videos, I first saw on TikTok and found your content so helpful and something g about your presence is very comforting and inviting. Your content is much needed when I was searching for answers as well 🥰 keep making videos and hopefully we can inspire more people to be interested and involved in foster care 🎉
It’s been so refreshing to find a channel that discusses foster care in such a balanced way and without emphasis on religion. Not being from the US, a lot of content is quite jarring, particularly one I watched recently that specified that you can’t be a good foster parent without Christianity!!!
I am a "middle child" from the 70s. I was born in Ohio. Mom took us to Florida the summer after kindergarten, "chasing" a man. We lived in 4 different places in Florida before Thanksgiving and had been in 2 different schools. We were removed from the home (there were 4 of us) in early December. They couldn't keep us all together, so they split us up by age. My older brother and sister went to one home, and my younger brother and I went to another. These were emergency / temporary placements. We could only stay for 30 days. My older siblings were in a home in the same town, but my little brother and I were in another city, so I had to change schools again. Our little brother wasn't in school yet, so it didn't affect him. I was at that school for not quite 3 weeks. When we went to more long-term placements, they had a placement for my older siblings still in the same school zone, but once again new city & new school for me. This was the BEST THING that could have happened to my little brother and me! We got the BEST foster parents anyone could ask for. We were with them until the last day of school. That was when my dad had FINALLY jumped through all the hoops the Florida court demanded so he could get custody of us. When I was 18, I connected with my former foster mother. She remembered me, and we still still talk every so often.
Hi Laura. I'm Leisa from Australia, though I mostly live in Germany now. I have 4 biological kids but have fostered through the church I once attended. I wish I had access to your wonderful content during those times! I love your practical, helpful advice, and your sunny attitude is so beautiful! I don't foster anymore although it is something I am open to again now I am older and my kids are adults.....and especially now I feel so much more ready and equipped with the tools you've given me!
I'm 19 and from Sweden and obviously things are different here but I stumble upon your channel every now and then and it has really helped me when I work as a camp counselor. I've had hundreds of kids with all different kinds of backgrounds and your content, I believe, have made me much a more considerate and overall better counselor. I've come to identify triggers of certain children, found ideas for bedtime, how to assert rules and boundaries and navigate big feelings (even when those have involved really violent kids) as well as answering questions about that kind of behaviour to other kids without disclosing info about the child in question and I believe it's because of your content. It's truly helpful for anyone interracting with children they do or don't know! Thank you!
I live & work in the UK as a Speech & Language Therapist (Speech Path). Over the years I have encountered many children who are looked after (term we use for fostered) and their carers. I feel it is really important that I seek toeducate myself about the children & young people and foster carers experiences and challenges in order that I can provide the very best service I can. Your videos provide me with insights I would't otherwise have.
I'm a 21yo, studying to be a kindergarden and elementary school teacher. In my country we don't have foster care like in the States, but i dream of forming a family through adoption since i'm 11, and would like to become a advocate for the well being of kids in vulnerable situations in my country. Your content teaches me to much valuable lessons, and i know it will help me not only with my own kids in the future, but also with my students. Thank you for everything!
I’m a foster parent in Alberta Canada. Have been fostering since 2015. We had long term sibs (5yrs and 3.5yrs) leave last March which was very hard. We just have 1 placement now. A sweet little 7 mo we’ve had since birth.
Hi Laura, I absolutely LOVE your content. Currently in the process of adopting my second foster kid. We finalize in just a few weeks. 🎉🎉🎉 I am in SC, single adoptive Dad and I am originally from Germany. :)
I am 65 years old. I grew up in a family that was a foster family to infants before abortion became legal, which means there were plenty of infants who were put up for adoption. My family worked for Catholic charities and we would get the infants at 6 days old until they were adopted at about 3 to 4 months old. In the early '70s when abortion became legal, there were no more infants available for adoption. My family then started to take in older children. That was the hardest thing I have ever been through and has stayed with me for all these years. We would get in abused children who flourished in our family but then they had to go back to the bio parents. We've had sick children who became well at our family but then went back to their bio parents who were neglectful. I could never do what you do. When there was so many infants up for adoption because abortion was illegal, it was different because they were going off to a better life. But the ones that we had that were older and broken and flourished in our family and then had to go back to those parents broke my heart and I think of them all the time. I really admire how you do this and you make the kids feel better and support the bios.
My Grandmother was a foster care parent. I was blessed to be able to see what she did and meet the children she helped while I was growing up. I am so glad to see your videos about how people can be good foster care parents!
I'm a high school student from france with no desire to deal with kids so i have no idea how i reached your content but its actually very interesting !
I grew up with some stints in foster care, which is traumatic and very hard especially when my older sibling and I were separated and it was very lonely and confusing. I want to thank you for your positive approach to foster care and expressing how some children with trauma may react differently than other kids who may not have had to deal with abuse or food insecurity or having to be a care giver to their younger siblings. It can also be really embarassing for a kid to tell their school friends that they don't live with their parents and you are really presenting positively to children in your care.
I really appreciate you and your videos! My name is Dylan. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and my husband and I are both trans men. I moved here a few years ago from the US and am working on getting my life in order after effectively losing the first fifteen years of my adult life to untreated severe ADHD. I'm not in a financial position to foster yet (I'm getting an associate's degree and living in a one-bedroom apartment with my husband and three cats), but I plan to in the future! My husband really wants children. Due to various medical and life issues, biological kids just aren't realistic for us. I think that being able to open our home to children who need one and provide safety and care for them will be really amazing -- we can have a home and be parents and still accommodate my fears about not being able to be a good parent (my childhood was...the kind of thing that I didn't realize was abusive until my late 20s). We'll have training and a support framework that bio parents don't get, and if I feel I can't be a good parent, it's possible to stop fostering and still be involved in the system with stuff like respite care or material support. I expect it to be hard and sometimes painful, but I also hope it will be really rewarding for both of us and that we'll be able to foster for the rest of our lives. Your videos have given me such amazing insight into what it's really like and I think have helped prepare me to do it well -- if nothing else, I'm at least more aware of stuff like common mistakes new foster parents make and what to do/how to act in hard situations. I'm still at least a few years away (the tentative goal is to have my bachelor's and own our own home before we start the process -- double wide trailer we're coming for you!) but it's never too early to start learning about it and be prepared. Your videos make me really excited to get there. I'm feeling the kind of yearning that I think is the first step to becoming a good parent, and that's a good feeling.
Hi Laura! I'm a huge fan of your videos, my fiancé grew up in Foster Care and was eventually adopted. I began watching your content to understand more about what he went through (he says much of it was all a blur). You truly have a heart of gold ❤
I think you are a really neat person. I enjoy your reels. I live in Dallas, Texas. I know a foster family and it has been so heartwarming to know them.
my name is Abby and I live in California I am considering becoming a foster parent and adopting from foster care in the future. I recently graduated high school and I’m now working on my associates degree to transfer and become an elementary teacher educator. Once I received my bachelors, I am hoping to also accomplish a masters degree as a teacher of students with visual impairments. Your videos have been very helpful and I appreciate how much dialogue and description is included in them. It makes it a lot easier to follow as someone who depends on description rather than visuals due to blindness.
hi Laura! I love your videos! I found your channel about a year ago and since then i learned more and more about fostering. I live in Italy and in the future I hope to become a foster parent (I'm still too young 😅). In the meantime, I'm learning from you! Thank you, you are truly inspiring
Hello all the way to Italy!! :) 💛 I visited Italy when I was 21.I'd love to return. Anyways, thank you for being here and for being open to fostering in the future!
Hi :) I really like your content and I’ve been following for around a year. I’d like to foster when I can start ramping down my work (which hopefully will only take a few more years). I worked with a lot of foster families in my home town in various volunteer and non profit roles. I really appreciate that you don’t overlay your personal religious beliefs onto your work as a foster parent. It’s incredibly respectful of the children, their background and their future. It also makes your care very personal not “god mission.”
I'm just a mom here to learn. I know your content is geared to foster families but a lot of what you share can be applied to any family dynamic. Plus, I love your approach and that you always show understanding, compassion and love to the children in your care. 🩵
Hi Laura, I'm a school teacher in South Africa with 2 beautiful biological daughters. Before I was married, I did short-term fosters (weekends or school vacations) but stopped when I started my family. Now that the girls are teenagers, I'm considering fostering again! I love listening to your advice and I'm sure it will be invaluable if we do travel that road! Thanks for all you do....I know that the lives of your kiddos are changed forever!
I don’t have any particular connection to anything on your channel, to be honest! I’m not from the US, I don’t have kids, don’t work with kids, and don’t plan to do anything related to child welfare. Maybe that’s why I like the content so much though, because you live a life that is so very different from mine and shine a light on a system that is not well known to the general public.
We are in the process of signing up to be foster parents. One subject I know is very personal, but one id really like to know more about is adopting through the foster care system. Do you have any experience with it?
I am a counselor and have been working with children and parents involved in DCS for a little under 10 years. I dont have kids of my own because I do not feel it is my calling but I l help raise a lot of kids and have worked in residential with kids aged elementary through 18. It was a joy but at the end of the day you get to go home and I just dont have the endurance to do it continuously. You are so incredible and kind. Part of the reason I dont want my own kids is because I know I am still in my own healing journey and still have a long way to go to be as self-less as is needed 24/7 for a child.
I have no children and have never fostered, but for some reason the algorithm started suggesting your shorts to me a few weeks ago. Whenever i feel depressed or like the world is a dark place i come to your channel to watch your videos because you clearly care so much and have so much empathy and are actively making the world better. Thank you for doing what you do
I'm a college student (not in a child welfare field) and I watch you because it's interesting to get an inside perspective on a household situation I don't know a lot about! I'd be open to fostering in the future but I'm mostly here out of curiosity as an outsider. It's interesting to see what accommodations I would never think of but make sense in that situation. And the care, kindness, and respect you have for children is so lovely and comforting to watch!
So nice to hear more about the person behind the content. Crazy you had 1000000 on your first video! That’s insane! Your videos are so valuable and appreciated so much!
hi I'm lu i actually have no connection to child welfare. im an adult with senory issues and you have a very soothing grounding voice so i watch your videos when i feel elevated
I'm in Southeastern Virginia. I found a local non-profit organization that supports the foster community with gift donations, tutoring, and camps, just to name a few. Our family sponsors different children each year during Christmas and on their birthdays. We also give volunteer hours to help organize and distribute the holiday gifts. ❤
Can you do a video about handling your own children with foster children...jealously, sharing. I was a biological children with foster children in my home
This sort of addresses it midway through but i definitely need to make some more specific videos! ua-cam.com/video/LjMOCCI9oFU/v-deo.html I don't have bio kids but I've collected a ton of community feedback 💛
Hi Laura! I work for child welfare in Oklahoma and found your channel in 2021. I worked with families going through the approval process and would share your Instagram and Facebook page with my prospective families all the time. I knew you could give them a perspective that I could not. Now I am still with child welfare and going through the process to become a foster parent! I have always admitted that foster parents are special and I stay humble in the fact that while I am a professional in the field and have a lot of knowledge… I will also lean on the wisdom of the lived experience of foster families caring for these kiddos 24/7
After watching your videos, I decided to apply to be a Big Sister. I don’t want to foster (to much for me), but still wanted to be a support for a teen.
I’m a other of 7 grown children, 8 grandchildren, a social worker who directs a nonprofit for marginalized women, mothers, and children. I fostered for a little while and then decided to make an impact a different way - by working on the system and resources. You are so inspiring and encouraging. You are like “Miss Rachel” for adults!
I'm a mother of one 2 year old, who is considering fostering/adoption someday. Your videos are so helpful for parenting in general, but especially for understanding all the ways that foster care can affect children and their emotional development. I can try to educate myself ahead of time on how best to communicate in a clear but supportive manner. Keep it up!
I found your videos about 2 years ago. Those videos, combined with a few other things, led to me being a registered foster mom. I picked up my first baby just before Christmas last year. She is the sweetest little thing
I don't think I could foster because I wouldn't be able to let the kids go. Very similar to when I was trying to foster animals and ended up with a fleet of pets, lol. But I find your content interesting and moving. I frequently get teared up watching your shorts simply because of your ability to help vulnerable children and you keep going and helping more. What a noble use of your time here. Thank you, Laura. ❤
Hi Laura! I'm not sure but one day you stubbled across my UA-cam feed and have started watching since. I really love your videos and your heart to do foster care. I have two sisters who were placed for adoption and it's hard when siblings get separated. I as well have a disorder that may prevent me from having children and I hope to do foster care one day as well! I want to give back like the nice people who adopted my sisters did. ❤ We need more people like you. A child needs love and care especially after traumatic life events.
My husband and I have been foster parents since 2011, and we have had the opportunity to host more than 100 kids in our home. Our shortest stay, not counting respite, was less than 24 hours. During this time, the kids were in a bad place while their mother was at work. Unfortunately, their mother was new in town and didn't know the type of people she befriended until this instance. Our longest placement was for two years. The age range of the children we have fostered is from 2 days old to 15 years old. We primarily foster young children. We have a happy little 19-month-old in our care, and we adopted our now 10-year-old son when he was 15 months old. I love watching your videos. Thank you for sharing them!
I'm a school nurse who was a foster-adopt parent 34 years ago (our son is now 43!) I love your channel and find it useful for all of us who work with kids in crisis, even if they are not in our homes.
I’m a teacher in Manitoba Canada. I’ve learned a lot from you in how to approach kids who are going through a hard time/day. I also have a number of students who are in group home or foster care and your insights are super valuable. Thank you for your work in the system and sharing your experience on UA-cam.
Foster parent from pa. We had started fostering with the intention of helping other neurodivergent children set up services and return home and quickly found it was too much with our bio kids needs to balance a new sensory profile of another child. We took a chance into the medically complex fostering world and it felt like the right fit for our skills to help.
I've been curious about fostering for a while but always kind of wondered what it would actually be like on a day to day basis, and finding your videos has helped to give me a better picture. I don't think I'm the right fit, at least not now - both my husband and I have ADHD so staying on top of organization takes a lot more energy than it does for the average person. We both also struggle with emotional disregulation during periods of higher stress, with my husband moreso because he's got other stuff going on as well. But I do think I/we would be equipped to help in other ways and that's something I want to look into soon!
I’m a post permanency worker! I work with families who have adopted to provide support and counseling - whether they’ve adopted through kinship, foster care, private domestic or international! My husband and I are also on our own adoption journey process to adopt from foster care. Your videos are wonderful - so glad you created what you needed and now are blessing so many of us! Thank you!
Hello, I'm a single mom to my bio 4 yo daughter. We're on WA, but may need to relocate to MT eventually. When she's older, like 10 or 12, we want to start fostering older kids (12-18), including sibling groups. I really want to help the kids others don't want, the ones that will age out. I want to give them a home & family they can always come back to. It's a lot, so I'm starting early & learning as much as I can.
When you have an evening off for time as a couple, does a respite worker come stay with the kids, or do you have to limit your evenings off to kid free periods?
I use babysitters - usually we put the kids to bed then do a late dinner so the babysitter doesn't have to do bedtime. But they come while we are are doing bedtime so the kids seem them and know who they are in case they need them after they go to bed.
I am a 24-year-old living in NYC. I'm in the arts, and I'm a math tutor by day. I've wanted to be a foster parent since my early teens. It will be at least a few years before I have the stability required to really think about providing a home to kids, but I'm looking into the other options for being involved in the foster care system for the time being!
I'm going to school for human service work in Canada, and I plan to work with at risk teens, and eventually foster with my partner. your channel has been such a fantastic resource for learning about what it's like
I'm a 44 year old woman with no intention on ever having to care for a child but your videos bring me great comfort, coming from a broken home. You speak to my inner child in a way that she should have been spoken to long ago. This is my comfort channel. Thank you for treating all these kids the way they need to be treated. And thank you for your content. You are reaching a broader audience than just parents.
I am a TA at a therapeutic school. Many of the students I've worked with have experienced significant trauma and a few have been in foster care. I find your content relating to trauma-informed care particularly particularly relevant to my work. I also had relatives in and out of (mostly kinship) care growing up. It's been eye-opening to learn more about the system. I'm not in a position to foster right now, but maybe someday!
I’m a 28 year old insurance professional, no degree, but trying to build my career from the ground up! I also love working with kids and really value your content. I’d love to have a big family someday and also help raise nieces and nephews, so your content on offering agency and positive outlets for babies, toddlers, kids, and teens is so valuable to me! 💖
I was adopted as an infant. We have 1 biological child and had thought about fostering at one point. I spent 20-plus years working with youth and young adults through my church, most of these kids lived in the inner city, or in the inner ring suburbs. I also ran an inner-city indoor soccer program for many years. And was active with my son when he was in Boy Scouts (proud Eagle mom)
Hi Laura, you and Chris are doing an amazing job. You are so warm and kind. I can't help but wonder what happens when a kid gets attached to you. Do you stay in touch? Can they stay longer? Does this even happen? I would assume that when you provide stability, warmth and comfort to kids they would form attachments? I do realize that this may not happen due to their family experience and history but I had to ask. I'm just a new mom who very much enjoys your videos.
I’m an early childhood educator and have two kids of my own. I run a dayhome but don’t foster any kids although I’ve thought about it. We want one more child but it’s not happening very easily. I think I came across these videos looking for daycare related stuff.
Hi, I'm Sam! I've got a background in early childhood education working as a teacher and at a children's museum. Now the majority of my time is spent as a stay at home mom to a young toddler! I had a lot of kids as a teacher going through difficult home situations. I appreciate your content and see a lot of value in learning how to support kids even if I'm not fostering myself. I'm on the east coast :)
Hi Sam! I too have a background in early childhood education! I worked with Head Start for some years. I’m right there with you in seeing the tough home situations as a teacher. I too am on the east coast!
I’m a grad student right now. I want to adopt, but I’m really thinking about fostering someday in my 30s. I’m just wondering if it would be too much for me as a person who has a lot of big dreams, and wants to have my own family
I am a retired bank accountamt and I have always been interested in foster care, but never had the space nor time for taking in kids to my own two daughters. I am 61 and from Munich, Germany.
I work in open access for a large mental health agency in Missouri. I do lots of assessments for foster kids, that sparked my interest in your channel 😊
I’m a licensed single foster mom in Colorado. I have a biological baby and a foster teenager at the moment. I try to always improve my knowledge of how to help the children in my care and deal with some od the big behaviors that come from trauma.
Hi Laura, I’ve been a foster parent for 25 years now and I still love your informative videos. I’ve been providing care to my foster daughter who has special needs for 23 years now. She came to me when she was 11 years old. She’ll be 35 this coming year. Because she is severely developmentally disabled she has remained in care after she became adult age. She is a very beloved member of our family.
Hi... Resource Parent in the District of Columbia since 2022...my biggest issue is with the agency ...foster care and foster parents are like the enemy to bio families...we are vilified and not trusted by them...I think the agency does a poor job at showcasing foster families...we are working professionals most with advanced degrees...we open our hearts and homes because we honestly want to help...it saddens me that these made for television narratives are allowed to be perpetuated due to the agencies lack of effort to dispel them....😢
Hi Laura! I’ve loved watching your videos for the last year plus! We’re not foster parents, but I went to school for and taught early childhood (mostly pre-k) for 10 years. I was with Head Start for 4 years of those 10. Our niece was adopted into the family through foster to adopt as an older child. Your content has really helped to better understand what she’s gone through. After a season of fertility treatments (17-20), we’re now starting the process to adopt. We both have this total peace about it! We’ll see what the journey holds!
I really enjoy your content. We went through the licensing process several years ago but could not make our schedule work - we wanted to take in teens. I am in the process of becoming a CASA volunteer. I would love to know if you have worked with them and what your experience was like.
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Please introduce yourself in the comments! I'd love to hear about who is here :)
Thank you for your channel! I’d love some advice on how to explain to a child/pre-teen that their parent (or guardian) surrendered their legal rights to custody? I’m new to foster care & I’ve tried… but I’m afraid the understanding is still lost in the child. Especially how the “law” makes it final & adults can’t just “change their mind” about them being able to “go home”? 😢
Do you adopt children or is fostering all you do?
@graceriley5933 She and her husband don't have any children of their own, biological or adopted; They're foster parents.
I’m a state representative from Kentucky and serve on several committees that impact foster care and kinship care. I’m always trying to learn more and your channel really helps! Reach out anytime if you have ideas or suggestions.
Thank you for doing the policy work! So much change is needed 💛
There's something really awesome about a state representative who has a real impact on the system taking the time to learn from people in the trenches. ❤️
I’m a single woman who just started working my first real job, and I’m trying to save enough money to realistically foster/adopt :) your channel is so inspiring!
Thanks for following along and being open to fostering in the future!
It’s so lovely to meet you! I’ve been watching you for a while now and love the light you put out into the world with your videos. You help so many people.
As for me, I’ve been homeless for some time now, and as someone who has experienced such intense lack of resources on and off, I aspire to foster and advocate for children in similar positions. I focus my educational endeavors on learning about Adultism and its effects on children, seeing kids as inferior and not fully developed humans. I am a huge advocate for childism (like feminism but for children) and aim to empower families to think about the possibility of building a better world for us all, not just a select few. I believe it takes a village to raise a child and if I can help my neighbors by temporarily fostering their biological children so they can get back on their feet and find the support they need, then I want to do that. I am focused on creating a self-sustainable homestead where we grow our own food and build our own shelter. I wish to be a part of the evolving landscape that is navigating through such an oppressive and purposefully broken and skewed system. I am completely against all forms of authoritarianism and hierarchical power structures and hope we can all begin cooperating more rather than being focused on our own individual efforts or nuclear families. Now, more than ever, we need to be there for each other! I hope we can inspire more foster parents to be as trauma-informed as you and your videos show.
Thank you again for being so amazing and for your life-changing content!
I'm 25, live in the UK and I work with young people with autism. I'd really love to foster teens someday, but I'm a long long way from affording that kind of space, financially. I watch your content to learn more about fostering, and it's been very helpful to me.
Hi 👋! Thank you so much for you videos. They provide support, encouragement, and guidance to so many.
I have had a desire to make a safe and loving place for kids since I was young. I studied early childhood education, taught preschool, and volunteered with kids that had additional needs. As I got a bit older I did lay counseling and mentoring of high school and college students. Then I volunteered with at risk youth. I lived with a family that fostered and then adopted two sisters. This gave me a front row seat to see the challenges, rewards, and tremendous need for more people to open up their homes and hearts to the thousands of kids in the system. I had the opportunity to volunteer with Fosterfull (Then called Office Moms and Dads) where we partnered with social workers to create a home like environment and provide care for kids that had just been removed from the home and were waiting for placement.
Do you ever care for kids with special needs? That’s an interest of mine.
I'm a former foster youth. And I really appreciate you know your limits and don't take more kids than you can handle. What I remember from my time in care was so many other kids and homes that seemed fairly chaotic. I think this is where it really feels like homes are in it for the money because they're perhaps taking more kids for the stipend since they need more funds and get overwhelmed. There was one home I was in that there was a younger boy who liked to hit everyone else and the foster mom told the kids to resolve it themselves if you complained about him. I think there was 5-6 kids there and it was just not a good situation. I'm not sure I ever would want to foster, but these videos keep popping up in my UA-cam suggestions and it's helping me work thru my foster care trauma to see there's some good foster parents.
I'm glad you have the opportunity to work through some of your foster-care trauma.
Know that some day, when you're in a good place, there are so many of us out here who would love to hear your story to and learn from your journey so we can teach future foster carers how to put the children at the center of the care they provide.
Thank you so much for sharing this @KatTheo431. Sounds like you have been through a lot. You are loved! I'm glad you are finding some solace through these videos too
I’m only twelve but watching your videos and listening to various podcasts has already made me determined to foster myself one day
Yay! Loved this one, so interesting. I'm in Canada and had an employee years ago who had aged out of foster care and had absolutely no support or family. It was clear that he was struggling with managing his temper among other things, and I could relate to that from my own poor upbringing and not having my needs met/learning how to manage big feelings as a kid. I did my best to help him out in any way that I could and the experience just really stayed with me. After covid I signed up to volunteer with my local Family and Children's Services to help with kids aging out of care. That's when I found your content, and even though I'm not directly fostering kids it's been really helpful for me to learn from you. Thank you!
Thank you for introducing yourself!! And thanks for all you do to support kids aging out of care. 💛
@punkrocksmidge I do the same thing - and thankfully there seems to be more care / support for the kids in the 18-21 age group to help them age out and transition. But having "people" that they can count on is so important.
I am not in foster care, just a bio parent. Your advice gives me tools and perspective with my own kids. I also find that watching you role-play positive interactions prepares my brain to act more positively around my kids, as I have a good model to mimic. It is subconscious but works well !
I might win the weirdest comment award 😂, but: Your videos got recommend to me when I (40+ year old adult, no kids unfortunately) reseaeched a lot about attachment styles because I found out a (then ghosting ) friend was probably fearful avoidant and I'm secure but with anxious tendencies.
I love kids, I'm a writer and I do write a lot of kids with not ideal backgrounds. Your videos started inspiring me and also feed my longing for child development knowledge.
Fast forward to almost a year later, my former ghosting friend is back and "season 2" of our friendship is thriving, because a. I understand him better, b. I get a vague idea what could have made him that way (and me) and don't take things too personal anymore, like when he pushes me away metaphorically, c. your videos can surprisingly often help in ANY relationship, even adult to adult ones.
And they also often feel like a virtual warm hug to me.
Thank you so much for sharing!! :) I'm glad your friend is back. We all go through so many seasons in friendships. 💛
Greetings from Canada. I was a single foster momma in Ontario. Had to stop due to personal health challenges. I miss the little ones very much! I admire your expertise.
Thank you for fostering while you could! It made a difference!
❤❤❤Amazing whole person! What a massive support for foster parents! I am not a foster parent, but this channel is inspirational for anyone never even considering being a foster, much like the documentary you watched as a teen-please keep going. Life hacks, self care, and practical how to RE-phrase regular or difficult conversations, you absolutely rock!
Thank you for the support and for following along!
Hello Laura. I was neither a foster child, and nor am I a foster parent. I came across your channel in my recommended video suggestions and started watching all your content.
I am in trauma-informed therapy for childhood abuse and neglect, and watching your videos literally helps soothe all the hurt places inside of me. I even told my therapist about your channel. I find your videos incredibly nurturing and healing. As you role-play, I imagine that I am that child you are talking to. You are playing a part in my recovery from childhood neglect and abuse, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart xx
thank you so much for sharing this @bluefirekin - I agree 1000% and do the same thing. It really does feel like she is talking to my inner child. Makes me tear up some times.
I never 'like' UA-cam videos... so the fact that I liked this one speaks very highly of you...
From your comments (when our friends started having kids it seemed like a good time to start fostering) it sounds like you made a conscious choice not to have biological children. Would you ever adopt children placed with you in foster care?
I'm a board certified pediatrician, single, and will be turning 50 in a few months. In May 2023 I completed an M.A. in Applied Child and Adolescent Development specializing in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. I left full-time medical practice in December 2021 because it was the right thing to do. We sold our practice a few years earlier, so I have a financial cushion, and I pick up work as alocum tenens pediatric hospitalist (filling in for practices that need help covering) and substitute teach in our public school district (primary in the preschool classroom, because those are "my peeps").
I always wanted children, but felt strongly that it isn't okay to have children to fulfill MY need. The reality my my job, my personality, and living in a rural community means I never found a spouse, so I don't have biological children. However, some of my patients' parents argue that I have hundreds of "my own" children. It is an honor when a parent acknowledges that you couldn't love their child more even if they were your own. I would love to do foster care, but I have ADHD and chronic disorganization/clutter issues. Before I could persue a license, I would need a professional organizer/declutterer to help me get my house in shape. I've been searching for someone like this for over a decade, but living in a rural area has made it difficult to find someone willing to travel to me!
Yeah... that was more than anyone wanted to know. But if anyone from Minnesota makes it this far and knows of a declutterer who might be willing to travel two hours west of the Twin Cities, let me know! 😂
I have no kids, but do love their company. I watch your videos because i think the advice is useful for many situations. Plus your energy is wonderful.
Thank you for the support! I appreciate you following along.
I’m not even considering becoming a parent or a foster as I fell into animal rescue by accident (8cats - 2 dogs) but I love your videos. You have good vibes. ❤
Thanks for being here!
Thanks for all you do, Laura. I'm not a foster parent, but I work in mental health in Canada, and I love seeing how your compassionate, trauma-informed approach can transfer over to other areas. When we work with people who have experienced involuntary mental health care, we find that their families' interests might not always align with theirs, and it's kind of analogous to how you describe working with foster children and their bio parents. Your judgement-free relational advice is so powerful and affirming.
Laura, thank you for giving visibility to adoption and foster care. I'm 21, and I've never been sure if I wanted to have kids. After discovering your channel I loved the idea of fostering and I considered it for a while, but I don't think I'm the right fit. However, you've made me think about adoption too, and I think that's the perfect option for me (in a few years, not yet). And I'm sure many others have had experiences like mine. You are helping thousands of kids by making these videos. Thank you
I love your videos, Laura! I’m a clinical social worker in the northeast and I am so inspired by the content you create and how much you celebrate and validate the fostering journey and the crucial role that foster parents have in kids’ lives. Thank you!!
Thank you for all you do, as well!!
Hi Laura, i am Sophie, a foster mom of a Babyboy living in Germany 👋 I really love your content, it is so helpful! Thank you!
I feel like we have much in common 😊
I'm in the UK and currently going through the 4 month process to become a foster carer. Your videos have been really helpful to me. Thank you. ❤❤
You seem like such an amazing foster parent.
Hi i am 20 years old was in the foster system myself form the age 4 to 18 and watching your videos is helping me learn more from the other side of foster care . I love how u know your limits and in the kids eyes last kids are better and it helps a lot when i was still in the care it felt better when there was mayeb 2 or 3 kids in the home and my foster dads let me do whatever I want to my room and they told me i could stay with them untill i get on my own feet.i show your videos to my foster dads and thank u so much for your videos. And with their help i am 20 living with my soon to be husband and thinking of fostering a teenager or a younger kiddo.
I’m from Germany, early thirties, and don’t have children nor anything to do with foster care - the algorithm just swept you into my UA-cam :-D To be frank, your content just gives me hope, that there are good people out there, trying to do the best for other people - and even teaching others how to do that! That’s just a really nice and positive input to get in today’s world. Some of my friends have had biological kids and I have god children, so learning about parenting generally is also nice 👍
We started with respite and babysitting for friends with foster kiddos. We now have The sweetest two week old baby! I love watching your videos, I first saw on TikTok and found your content so helpful and something g about your presence is very comforting and inviting. Your content is much needed when I was searching for answers as well 🥰 keep making videos and hopefully we can inspire more people to be interested and involved in foster care 🎉
This was something I wanted to do since I was 17 (nearly 10 years now) so when he came to us right before Christmas it was a dream come true!
It’s been so refreshing to find a channel that discusses foster care in such a balanced way and without emphasis on religion.
Not being from the US, a lot of content is quite jarring, particularly one I watched recently that specified that you can’t be a good foster parent without Christianity!!!
I am a "middle child" from the 70s. I was born in Ohio. Mom took us to Florida the summer after kindergarten, "chasing" a man. We lived in 4 different places in Florida before Thanksgiving and had been in 2 different schools. We were removed from the home (there were 4 of us) in early December. They couldn't keep us all together, so they split us up by age. My older brother and sister went to one home, and my younger brother and I went to another. These were emergency / temporary placements. We could only stay for 30 days. My older siblings were in a home in the same town, but my little brother and I were in another city, so I had to change schools again. Our little brother wasn't in school yet, so it didn't affect him. I was at that school for not quite 3 weeks. When we went to more long-term placements, they had a placement for my older siblings still in the same school zone, but once again new city & new school for me.
This was the BEST THING that could have happened to my little brother and me! We got the BEST foster parents anyone could ask for. We were with them until the last day of school. That was when my dad had FINALLY jumped through all the hoops the Florida court demanded so he could get custody of us.
When I was 18, I connected with my former foster mother. She remembered me, and we still still talk every so often.
Hi Laura. I'm Leisa from Australia, though I mostly live in Germany now. I have 4 biological kids but have fostered through the church I once attended. I wish I had access to your wonderful content during those times! I love your practical, helpful advice, and your sunny attitude is so beautiful! I don't foster anymore although it is something I am open to again now I am older and my kids are adults.....and especially now I feel so much more ready and equipped with the tools you've given me!
I'm 19 and from Sweden and obviously things are different here but I stumble upon your channel every now and then and it has really helped me when I work as a camp counselor. I've had hundreds of kids with all different kinds of backgrounds and your content, I believe, have made me much a more considerate and overall better counselor. I've come to identify triggers of certain children, found ideas for bedtime, how to assert rules and boundaries and navigate big feelings (even when those have involved really violent kids) as well as answering questions about that kind of behaviour to other kids without disclosing info about the child in question and I believe it's because of your content. It's truly helpful for anyone interracting with children they do or don't know! Thank you!
I live & work in the UK as a Speech & Language Therapist (Speech Path). Over the years I have encountered many children who are looked after (term we use for fostered) and their carers. I feel it is really important that I seek toeducate myself about the children & young people and foster carers experiences and challenges in order that I can provide the very best service I can. Your videos provide me with insights I would't otherwise have.
I'm a 21yo, studying to be a kindergarden and elementary school teacher. In my country we don't have foster care like in the States, but i dream of forming a family through adoption since i'm 11, and would like to become a advocate for the well being of kids in vulnerable situations in my country. Your content teaches me to much valuable lessons, and i know it will help me not only with my own kids in the future, but also with my students.
Thank you for everything!
I’m a foster parent in Alberta Canada. Have been fostering since 2015. We had long term sibs (5yrs and 3.5yrs) leave last March which was very hard. We just have 1 placement now. A sweet little 7 mo we’ve had since birth.
Hi Laura, I absolutely LOVE your content. Currently in the process of adopting my second foster kid. We finalize in just a few weeks. 🎉🎉🎉 I am in SC, single adoptive Dad and I am originally from Germany. :)
I am 65 years old. I grew up in a family that was a foster family to infants before abortion became legal, which means there were plenty of infants who were put up for adoption. My family worked for Catholic charities and we would get the infants at 6 days old until they were adopted at about 3 to 4 months old. In the early '70s when abortion became legal, there were no more infants available for adoption. My family then started to take in older children. That was the hardest thing I have ever been through and has stayed with me for all these years. We would get in abused children who flourished in our family but then they had to go back to the bio parents. We've had sick children who became well at our family but then went back to their bio parents who were neglectful. I could never do what you do. When there was so many infants up for adoption because abortion was illegal, it was different because they were going off to a better life. But the ones that we had that were older and broken and flourished in our family and then had to go back to those parents broke my heart and I think of them all the time. I really admire how you do this and you make the kids feel better and support the bios.
My Grandmother was a foster care parent. I was blessed to be able to see what she did and meet the children she helped while I was growing up. I am so glad to see your videos about how people can be good foster care parents!
I'm a high school student from france with no desire to deal with kids so i have no idea how i reached your content but its actually very interesting !
I grew up with some stints in foster care, which is traumatic and very hard especially when my older sibling and I were separated and it was very lonely and confusing. I want to thank you for your positive approach to foster care and expressing how some children with trauma may react differently than other kids who may not have had to deal with abuse or food insecurity or having to be a care giver to their younger siblings. It can also be really embarassing for a kid to tell their school friends that they don't live with their parents and you are really presenting positively to children in your care.
I really appreciate you and your videos! My name is Dylan. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and my husband and I are both trans men. I moved here a few years ago from the US and am working on getting my life in order after effectively losing the first fifteen years of my adult life to untreated severe ADHD. I'm not in a financial position to foster yet (I'm getting an associate's degree and living in a one-bedroom apartment with my husband and three cats), but I plan to in the future!
My husband really wants children. Due to various medical and life issues, biological kids just aren't realistic for us. I think that being able to open our home to children who need one and provide safety and care for them will be really amazing -- we can have a home and be parents and still accommodate my fears about not being able to be a good parent (my childhood was...the kind of thing that I didn't realize was abusive until my late 20s). We'll have training and a support framework that bio parents don't get, and if I feel I can't be a good parent, it's possible to stop fostering and still be involved in the system with stuff like respite care or material support. I expect it to be hard and sometimes painful, but I also hope it will be really rewarding for both of us and that we'll be able to foster for the rest of our lives. Your videos have given me such amazing insight into what it's really like and I think have helped prepare me to do it well -- if nothing else, I'm at least more aware of stuff like common mistakes new foster parents make and what to do/how to act in hard situations.
I'm still at least a few years away (the tentative goal is to have my bachelor's and own our own home before we start the process -- double wide trailer we're coming for you!) but it's never too early to start learning about it and be prepared. Your videos make me really excited to get there. I'm feeling the kind of yearning that I think is the first step to becoming a good parent, and that's a good feeling.
All the best on your journey!
Watching from Ireland, you are an amazing woman and great mom to these kids
Hi Laura! I'm a huge fan of your videos, my fiancé grew up in Foster Care and was eventually adopted. I began watching your content to understand more about what he went through (he says much of it was all a blur). You truly have a heart of gold ❤
I think you are a really neat person. I enjoy your reels. I live in Dallas, Texas. I know a foster family and it has been so heartwarming to know them.
my name is Abby and I live in California
I am considering becoming a foster parent and adopting from foster care in the future. I recently graduated high school and I’m now working on my associates degree to transfer and become an elementary teacher educator. Once I received my bachelors, I am hoping to also accomplish a masters degree as a teacher of students with visual impairments. Your videos have been very helpful and I appreciate how much dialogue and description is included in them. It makes it a lot easier to follow as someone who depends on description rather than visuals due to blindness.
hi Laura! I love your videos!
I found your channel about a year ago and since then i learned more and more about fostering.
I live in Italy and in the future I hope to become a foster parent (I'm still too young 😅). In the meantime, I'm learning from you! Thank you, you are truly inspiring
Hello all the way to Italy!! :) 💛 I visited Italy when I was 21.I'd love to return. Anyways, thank you for being here and for being open to fostering in the future!
I’ve been to Italy too and holland as well
Hi :) I really like your content and I’ve been following for around a year. I’d like to foster when I can start ramping down my work (which hopefully will only take a few more years). I worked with a lot of foster families in my home town in various volunteer and non profit roles. I really appreciate that you don’t overlay your personal religious beliefs onto your work as a foster parent. It’s incredibly respectful of the children, their background and their future. It also makes your care very personal not “god mission.”
I'm just a mom here to learn. I know your content is geared to foster families but a lot of what you share can be applied to any family dynamic. Plus, I love your approach and that you always show understanding, compassion and love to the children in your care. 🩵
Hi Laura, I'm a school teacher in South Africa with 2 beautiful biological daughters. Before I was married, I did short-term fosters (weekends or school vacations) but stopped when I started my family. Now that the girls are teenagers, I'm considering fostering again! I love listening to your advice and I'm sure it will be invaluable if we do travel that road! Thanks for all you do....I know that the lives of your kiddos are changed forever!
I don’t have any particular connection to anything on your channel, to be honest! I’m not from the US, I don’t have kids, don’t work with kids, and don’t plan to do anything related to child welfare. Maybe that’s why I like the content so much though, because you live a life that is so very different from mine and shine a light on a system that is not well known to the general public.
You're an angel. I've learned so much from you.
Do you keep in contact with former foster kids?
We are in the process of signing up to be foster parents. One subject I know is very personal, but one id really like to know more about is adopting through the foster care system. Do you have any experience with it?
I am a counselor and have been working with children and parents involved in DCS for a little under 10 years. I dont have kids of my own because I do not feel it is my calling but I l help raise a lot of kids and have worked in residential with kids aged elementary through 18. It was a joy but at the end of the day you get to go home and I just dont have the endurance to do it continuously. You are so incredible and kind. Part of the reason I dont want my own kids is because I know I am still in my own healing journey and still have a long way to go to be as self-less as is needed 24/7 for a child.
I have no children and have never fostered, but for some reason the algorithm started suggesting your shorts to me a few weeks ago. Whenever i feel depressed or like the world is a dark place i come to your channel to watch your videos because you clearly care so much and have so much empathy and are actively making the world better. Thank you for doing what you do
I'm a college student (not in a child welfare field) and I watch you because it's interesting to get an inside perspective on a household situation I don't know a lot about! I'd be open to fostering in the future but I'm mostly here out of curiosity as an outsider. It's interesting to see what accommodations I would never think of but make sense in that situation. And the care, kindness, and respect you have for children is so lovely and comforting to watch!
So nice to hear more about the person behind the content. Crazy you had 1000000 on your first video! That’s insane! Your videos are so valuable and appreciated so much!
hi I'm lu i actually have no connection to child welfare. im an adult with senory issues and you have a very soothing grounding voice so i watch your videos when i feel elevated
I'm in Southeastern Virginia. I found a local non-profit organization that supports the foster community with gift donations, tutoring, and camps, just to name a few. Our family sponsors different children each year during Christmas and on their birthdays. We also give volunteer hours to help organize and distribute the holiday gifts. ❤
Can you do a video about handling your own children with foster children...jealously, sharing. I was a biological children with foster children in my home
This sort of addresses it midway through but i definitely need to make some more specific videos! ua-cam.com/video/LjMOCCI9oFU/v-deo.html I don't have bio kids but I've collected a ton of community feedback 💛
Hi Laura! I work for child welfare in Oklahoma and found your channel in 2021. I worked with families going through the approval process and would share your Instagram and Facebook page with my prospective families all the time. I knew you could give them a perspective that I could not. Now I am still with child welfare and going through the process to become a foster parent! I have always admitted that foster parents are special and I stay humble in the fact that while I am a professional in the field and have a lot of knowledge… I will also lean on the wisdom of the lived experience of foster families caring for these kiddos 24/7
After watching your videos, I decided to apply to be a Big Sister. I don’t want to foster (to much for me), but still wanted to be a support for a teen.
Oh wow - thank you so much for signing up! That is such an important program!!
I’m a other of 7 grown children, 8 grandchildren, a social worker who directs a nonprofit for marginalized women, mothers, and children.
I fostered for a little while and then decided to make an impact a different way - by working on the system and resources.
You are so inspiring and encouraging. You are like “Miss Rachel” for adults!
I'm a mother of one 2 year old, who is considering fostering/adoption someday. Your videos are so helpful for parenting in general, but especially for understanding all the ways that foster care can affect children and their emotional development. I can try to educate myself ahead of time on how best to communicate in a clear but supportive manner. Keep it up!
I found your videos about 2 years ago. Those videos, combined with a few other things, led to me being a registered foster mom. I picked up my first baby just before Christmas last year. She is the sweetest little thing
Hi I am from Sydney Australia my close friends are emergency foster parents and I really love learning about the foster life
Thank you for being such a supportive friend!
I don't think I could foster because I wouldn't be able to let the kids go. Very similar to when I was trying to foster animals and ended up with a fleet of pets, lol. But I find your content interesting and moving. I frequently get teared up watching your shorts simply because of your ability to help vulnerable children and you keep going and helping more. What a noble use of your time here. Thank you, Laura. ❤
Hi Laura! I'm not sure but one day you stubbled across my UA-cam feed and have started watching since. I really love your videos and your heart to do foster care. I have two sisters who were placed for adoption and it's hard when siblings get separated. I as well have a disorder that may prevent me from having children and I hope to do foster care one day as well! I want to give back like the nice people who adopted my sisters did. ❤ We need more people like you. A child needs love and care especially after traumatic life events.
My husband and I have been foster parents since 2011, and we have had the opportunity to host more than 100 kids in our home. Our shortest stay, not counting respite, was less than 24 hours. During this time, the kids were in a bad place while their mother was at work. Unfortunately, their mother was new in town and didn't know the type of people she befriended until this instance. Our longest placement was for two years. The age range of the children we have fostered is from 2 days old to 15 years old. We primarily foster young children. We have a happy little 19-month-old in our care, and we adopted our now 10-year-old son when he was 15 months old.
I love watching your videos. Thank you for sharing them!
I'm a school nurse who was a foster-adopt parent 34 years ago (our son is now 43!) I love your channel and find it useful for all of us who work with kids in crisis, even if they are not in our homes.
I’m a teacher in Manitoba Canada. I’ve learned a lot from you in how to approach kids who are going through a hard time/day. I also have a number of students who are in group home or foster care and your insights are super valuable. Thank you for your work in the system and sharing your experience on UA-cam.
Foster parent from pa. We had started fostering with the intention of helping other neurodivergent children set up services and return home and quickly found it was too much with our bio kids needs to balance a new sensory profile of another child. We took a chance into the medically complex fostering world and it felt like the right fit for our skills to help.
I've been curious about fostering for a while but always kind of wondered what it would actually be like on a day to day basis, and finding your videos has helped to give me a better picture. I don't think I'm the right fit, at least not now - both my husband and I have ADHD so staying on top of organization takes a lot more energy than it does for the average person. We both also struggle with emotional disregulation during periods of higher stress, with my husband moreso because he's got other stuff going on as well. But I do think I/we would be equipped to help in other ways and that's something I want to look into soon!
I’m a post permanency worker! I work with families who have adopted to provide support and counseling - whether they’ve adopted through kinship, foster care, private domestic or international! My husband and I are also on our own adoption journey process to adopt from foster care. Your videos are wonderful - so glad you created what you needed and now are blessing so many of us! Thank you!
Hello, I'm a single mom to my bio 4 yo daughter. We're on WA, but may need to relocate to MT eventually. When she's older, like 10 or 12, we want to start fostering older kids (12-18), including sibling groups. I really want to help the kids others don't want, the ones that will age out. I want to give them a home & family they can always come back to. It's a lot, so I'm starting early & learning as much as I can.
I should add that I want to give the kids that age out a place to stay after they age out so they can really succeed in whichever path they choose.
Thank you so much for being open to fostering older youth in the future! I love that you want to support them into adulthood 💛
When you have an evening off for time as a couple, does a respite worker come stay with the kids, or do you have to limit your evenings off to kid free periods?
I use babysitters - usually we put the kids to bed then do a late dinner so the babysitter doesn't have to do bedtime. But they come while we are are doing bedtime so the kids seem them and know who they are in case they need them after they go to bed.
I am a 24-year-old living in NYC. I'm in the arts, and I'm a math tutor by day. I've wanted to be a foster parent since my early teens. It will be at least a few years before I have the stability required to really think about providing a home to kids, but I'm looking into the other options for being involved in the foster care system for the time being!
Thank you for having an open mind to fostering in the future! It's nice to meet you!
I'm going to school for human service work in Canada, and I plan to work with at risk teens, and eventually foster with my partner. your channel has been such a fantastic resource for learning about what it's like
I'm a 44 year old woman with no intention on ever having to care for a child but your videos bring me great comfort, coming from a broken home. You speak to my inner child in a way that she should have been spoken to long ago. This is my comfort channel. Thank you for treating all these kids the way they need to be treated. And thank you for your content. You are reaching a broader audience than just parents.
I am a TA at a therapeutic school. Many of the students I've worked with have experienced significant trauma and a few have been in foster care. I find your content relating to trauma-informed care particularly particularly relevant to my work.
I also had relatives in and out of (mostly kinship) care growing up.
It's been eye-opening to learn more about the system.
I'm not in a position to foster right now, but maybe someday!
Thank you for the introduction - I appreciate you being here!!
I’m a 28 year old insurance professional, no degree, but trying to build my career from the ground up! I also love working with kids and really value your content. I’d love to have a big family someday and also help raise nieces and nephews, so your content on offering agency and positive outlets for babies, toddlers, kids, and teens is so valuable to me! 💖
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.John14:6
JESUS is the only way!
I was adopted as an infant. We have 1 biological child and had thought about fostering at one point. I spent 20-plus years working with youth and young adults through my church, most of these kids lived in the inner city, or in the inner ring suburbs. I also ran an inner-city indoor soccer program for many years. And was active with my son when he was in Boy Scouts (proud Eagle mom)
Hi Laura, you and Chris are doing an amazing job. You are so warm and kind. I can't help but wonder what happens when a kid gets attached to you. Do you stay in touch? Can they stay longer? Does this even happen? I would assume that when you provide stability, warmth and comfort to kids they would form attachments? I do realize that this may not happen due to their family experience and history but I had to ask. I'm just a new mom who very much enjoys your videos.
I’m an early childhood educator and have two kids of my own. I run a dayhome but don’t foster any kids although I’ve thought about it. We want one more child but it’s not happening very easily. I think I came across these videos looking for daycare related stuff.
For me I think youve really demystified the fostering process and made me more determined to do it myself in the future ❤
Hi, I'm Sam! I've got a background in early childhood education working as a teacher and at a children's museum. Now the majority of my time is spent as a stay at home mom to a young toddler! I had a lot of kids as a teacher going through difficult home situations. I appreciate your content and see a lot of value in learning how to support kids even if I'm not fostering myself. I'm on the east coast :)
Hi Sam! I too have a background in early childhood education! I worked with Head Start for some years. I’m right there with you in seeing the tough home situations as a teacher. I too am on the east coast!
Nice to meet you, Sam! I appreciate you being here :)
I’m a grad student right now. I want to adopt, but I’m really thinking about fostering someday in my 30s. I’m just wondering if it would be too much for me as a person who has a lot of big dreams, and wants to have my own family
Jodi Here! Me and my husband are just about to get our foster license. We live in Texas! Love your videos!!!
I am a retired bank accountamt and I have always been interested in foster care, but never had the space nor time for taking in kids to my own two daughters. I am 61 and from Munich, Germany.
I work in open access for a large mental health agency in Missouri. I do lots of assessments for foster kids, that sparked my interest in your channel 😊
I’m a licensed single foster mom in Colorado. I have a biological baby and a foster teenager at the moment. I try to always improve my knowledge of how to help the children in my care and deal with some od the big behaviors that come from trauma.
Hi! I'm a single woman and I don't have the means to foster now but I want to someday. Right now I'm in the process of becoming a mentor
I retired as a Guardian ad Litem/CASA volunteer after 35 years, so dealt with a lot of foster parents over the years!
Hi Laura, I’ve been a foster parent for 25 years now and I still love your informative videos. I’ve been providing care to my foster daughter who has special needs for 23 years now. She came to me when she was 11 years old. She’ll be 35 this coming year.
Because she is severely developmentally disabled she has remained in care after she became adult age.
She is a very beloved member of our family.
Wow 25 years!! Thank you for your incredible service to your community. And for providing life long care and love for your former foster daughter.
Hi... Resource Parent in the District of Columbia since 2022...my biggest issue is with the agency ...foster care and foster parents are like the enemy to bio families...we are vilified and not trusted by them...I think the agency does a poor job at showcasing foster families...we are working professionals most with advanced degrees...we open our hearts and homes because we honestly want to help...it saddens me that these made for television narratives are allowed to be perpetuated due to the agencies lack of effort to dispel them....😢
You could share this with your worker - these ice breaker sessions can really help! www.aecf.org/resources/icebreaker-meetings
I'm from Europe, and I love your contents.
Helloooo all the way to Europe!
I'm not a foster parent and don't plan to be. I follow bevause you are a good parent period
Hi Laura! I’ve loved watching your videos for the last year plus! We’re not foster parents, but I went to school for and taught early childhood (mostly pre-k) for 10 years. I was with Head Start for 4 years of those 10. Our niece was adopted into the family through foster to adopt as an older child. Your content has really helped to better understand what she’s gone through. After a season of fertility treatments (17-20), we’re now starting the process to adopt. We both have this total peace about it! We’ll see what the journey holds!
Thank you so much for the inroduction, it's nice to meet you!!
Laura- You are a doll! I was raised in foster care my whole life. I love your attitude, the gentle way you interact with the children in your care.
Thank you for being here and for following along! I'm so sorry you had to go through care 💛
The scripture on your tshirt is one of my favorites!
I really enjoy your content. We went through the licensing process several years ago but could not make our schedule work - we wanted to take in teens. I am in the process of becoming a CASA volunteer. I would love to know if you have worked with them and what your experience was like.
Oh amazing! Thank you for signing up to be a CASA!
When you go to the store or concerts, who watches the kids?