Fostering for Empty Nester’s
The funny thing about life is that you go through cycles. When you were a child the only thing you could think about was being a “grown up” because you wanted to do without all the rules. Then, when you reached that period in your life, you wondered where all these rules you had to live by came from. It didn’t seem like your mum and dad had anyone telling them that they had to be up before the sun rose or that they couldn’t buy that new car they had always dreamed of. No one told us that we had to work to pay our bills and sometimes that just wasn’t enough to get all the things we wanted.
The Next Stage of Life
Then we raised our families wondering if they’d ever grow up and find a home of their own. Those teenage years were a real trial for us. Now that they’ve gone, the house is empty and devoid of all that excitement. There’s little laughter and no noise to keep us awake half the night. We never thought we’d miss it, but we do. It’s called the empty nest syndrome. As lonely as it feels, there is something we can do to fill that void. We really are still needed and, according to fcascotland.co.uk, there is a greater need for foster carers than you could ever imagine.
Fostering for Empty Nesters: A Two-Way Street
Actually, fostering for empty nesters is a two-way street. We miss the joy that kids bring to the home and they are without a home to fill with their crazy antics. We miss being needed and that’s something these kids really need. They need someone to care for them during this dark period of their lives. Actually, fostering is reciprocal. By sharing your love and parental instincts you will fill your own personal void while being there for kids who need you more than you can even imagine. It’s rather like a reciprocating give and take and that’s family at its very best.
There’s Something About Experience
Perhaps you’ve been thinking about how nice it would be to have kids in the home again but were a bit reluctant to look into fostering. Actually, the process is quite painless and you will find that there’s something about experience that makes you well suited for the task. You’ve raised your children who are now out on their own and starting families of their own. Maybe you thought that middle age would disqualify you for becoming a foster parent but the opposite is actually true. There really is something to be said about experience and who better to care for kids than someone who’s made a ‘career’ out if raising their own.
Yes, you really miss and need the life that only kids can bring to a home. But at the end of the day, they need the love you have to give just as much, if not more. You can fill the void in their lives while bringing life back into your household. If there’s one thing that can be said about fostering it would be that there is nothing quite as fulfilling as being needed and being there for someone who really, really needs you in return – and that’s what we’ll leave you with today.
Are you an Empty Nester? Would you consider Fostering?
This is a collaborative post you can read my disclosure policy here.
Anee Sweet, I can definitely relate to the feeling of the empty nest syndrome. It’s a big transition for any parent. But it’s great to know that there are still opportunities for us to make a positive impact in the world, like becoming foster carers. Thanks for sharing this valuable information, it’s inspiring.
Fostering was something I thought about as the kids moved into their teenage years, but didn’t think it would be fair on them to share me even further. It’s not something I would think about now, despite being an empty nester as I’ve filled my life with grandchildren and other things.
My Mum fostered when I was young. She wasn’t an empty nester although my two older brothers had already left home. She did stop once she got pregnant with my younger brother. It was kind of strange having teens in sharing our home, but they were never there very long and I was too young to have many memories. (There is an 8 year difference between me and my younger brother and my older brothers are much older than me and were married when I was very young.)
When my brother and I left home my parents fostered kids and they loved it. It was hard work but well worth it. They did emergency foster care so only had kids for a few weeks until something more permanent was found for them but like everyone said that was the hardest time for the children as they’d been uprooted from everything they knew.
I would love to foster kids when my two have left home. x
Fostering is such a rewarding thing to do. My Mum was an emergency foster parent too so they were never with us for long so I can’t really remember them. She also looked after two of my cousins for quite a while too. One I consider my cousin/brother but I don’t see him often now.
When my oldest son moved out It took me ages to adjust and I missed him so much (I still miss him!)I was happy that he was happy to be moving in with his fiancée but I honestly didn’t expect the years to go by so fast and I wasn’t prepared for this next stage. My younger son is 18 and he still has a few years left at home because he will be studying. But I know that the time will fly! I have thought about fostering and it would be something that I would have really like to do. But I can’t because I work full time. If I didn’t I would look into it for sure.