Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.

Planning to be a foster dad.

All people in some or the other way contribute to the society. It is really a good task. But have you ever thought of any perfect idea of helping some real lives out there. My meaning of saying this is not doing any community services for people out there but doing or contributing towards foster parents. Being a foster dad will not be easy but its worth doing something for the world where you live , especially for those children out there who have nobody to share with and loved by. So if sometime in life you plan to be a foster dad here are a few tips to go with and be prepared before planning for a new foster child.

1. Gain experience through work with children- Plan to work on volunteer homes on weekends on whenever you like working. Try babysitting a child or plan babysitting for your neighbor. Be a volunteer on foster homes to gain experience about the like and dislike of children before planning to be a foster dad.
2. Educate about child care- taking courses about childcare , nursing and family studies will help you understand the problems related to a foster child and also the differences between them and any normal children.
3. Earn enough to support – doing a good job and earning good from working and will be able to support the child after taking legal care for him. If married consult your wife regarding her finances.
4. Rules and regulation of the state- different states in us have different rules regarding adaptation. Rules even apply to the person adopting a foster child. Even there are rules related to single and married parents. Some states do allow even parents of the same sex to foster children.
5. Few different policies also apply to the person or parents willing to care a for a foster child like,
   1. Do you have a house of your own or rented.
   2. Do you have the house furnished .
   3. Sufficient space for a new child.
   4. Play area around your house and your neighborhood
   5. Furniture in adequate quantity.
6. Talking with other family members- It is always advisable to discuss your new plans with family members and other relatives other than a wife. They may advise you about the god and bad aspect if any about it, and may even help you to know more if they had done it before. So the best way to also let them know about your fostering plans and make them believe you are capable doing good things.

Best of all there are different non-profit foster organization and state-run programs which give you ideas and even they conduct short term courses for people who plan fostering in the future. It’s better to consult them and sign you up at their organization to stay updated regarding any new news about fostering a child and any changes in law which can make you difficult while you plan doing it. These  are some of the things I feel important after speaking with one of my friends who has a foster daughter and they are planning to adopt her.

Thank you for reading.

Please feel free to comment and also leave any new suggestion for foster parents so as to help us add to the list of our ideas to do, before fostering a child.

Talk to Bill and others about their experiences raising bi-cultural Japanese-American kids.