Traveling With Foster Children

I realized lately that I have been wandering to far into my own personal life on this blog.  I want to get back to offering practical information for readers.  I think there is a significant lack of practical information out there right now for those who are currently fostering children.  In my family, summertime is the time to travel.  The children are out of school and I have usually neglected my extended family during the wintertime.  And to be brutally honest, the children in my household are bored silly after the joy of school ending has passed.  We have a pool and a trampoline that keep them pretty busy but there is nothing like a change of scenery.

Traveling with foster children always adds a few extra loops to the process that may seem overwhelming but it will be worth the extra time in the long run.  Always make sure that your case worker is fully informed about your plans.  I have found that I mentally absorb my foster children into my family and it often takes some extra thoughts for me to remember that this child does not belong to me.  I cannot just go wandering around the United States without providing full contact information and a detailed itinerary to the right people.  The case worker should be at the top of your list when you are forming your travel plans.  I have found that if I am just traveling within my home state, that it is a simple matter of providing the necessary information to the case worker.  However, things can get a little more complicated when visiting another state.  I like to request a letter from my caseworker that includes information about my family as the foster family and a statement about permission to travel with the child.  If I have positive relationship with the birth parents, I will keep them informed also.  Traveling can mean that children will miss some important visitation dates with birth parents.  Make plans in advance for the child to chat on the phone with their parents while they are traveling.  Sharing the new experience with their parents is often a great new avenue of conversation.

When I first began to foster children, I headed up north to visit my mother.  She lives about 250 miles away within my home state.  My mom was very nervous about this extra addition to our family and worried about how to act.  We chatted about it and decided that we would just do the same things that we always do when I visit.  We settled on taking the kids to a Putt-Putt course.  I love doing this because I can chat with my mom while the kids are having fun and we get some great pictures.  My latest foster child had never been Putt-Putting before and at 8 years old, she was the perfect age to enjoy it.  My mother was captivated by this child's reaction to such a simple activity.  The child sparkled with laughter and excitement through every hole.  My mom could not believe that such a simple activity could bring such joy to a child.  Many of the children who come into care have never experienced even a simple family vacation.  For me, it is a magical thing to give a child a new experience and create a happy memory for them to treasure, no matter where life may take them.   My mother has now caught the bug of creating new memories and loves to take the children places they have never been before.

Sometimes it is not possible to take a foster child on vacation because of cost or other restrictions. Sometimes a foster family just needs to take a break and get away for awhile and that is okay too. Do not feel bad or guilty if you need to find a substitute caregiver and take a breather.  Again, it is important that the case worker is fully informed of these kinds of plans.  A caseworker can be a big help in finding another foster family willing to take care of your foster child for a short time.  I think the best advice I can offer a new foster family is, "Do not change the things that you do just because a foster child has come to your home."  If you travel, keep traveling.  If you host a big family gathering every year, keep doing it.  Foster children need to experience normal everyday family life.  It is one of the greatest gifts a foster family can give a child.