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Part Five Dimensions of Families
of the biological parents. Understanding the circumstances behind the
adoption is often an emotional struggle for adoptive children. Adoptive
parents can help provide emotional support for their children while
they are facing these issues.
The Foster Family
Foster parenting provides children with substitute families while
their parents are unable to care for them. This may be for a short period
of time or for many years.
Some children are placed in foster homes because they do not get
along with their parents. Others are placed in foster homes because
their parents cannot give them adequate care. In other cases, the parents
have, in effect, abandoned their children, but the children cannot be
adopted because of legal restrictions.
Foster family homes are evaluated and licensed according to state
requirements. Foster parents give their time, effort, and love. They are
reimbursed only for the children’s expenses. The payments vary with
each child, family, and state.
Foster parents experience the joy of helping children grow and
develop. They receive the reward of making important contributions
to the lives of children who need parental models. On the other hand,
foster parents face some special challenges. Children come to them
from many different backgrounds. The children are often bewildered,
angry, frightened, and resentful. They may be hesitant about living
with strangers. They need time, love, and understanding to adjust to
their foster homes. Once the adjustments are made, foster families may
become very close. If a child has to leave a foster home at a later time,
both the child and the parents may have difficulty saying good-bye.
Legal Guardians
A child may need a legal guardian if his or her parents are no longer
able to provide the child with suffi cient care. A legal guardian is a
person who has been appointed by the courts to take care of a child. The
legal guardian then takes on all of the legal and fi nancial responsibilities
for the child. A child’s legal guardian will often be a grandparent or
other relative or a friend of the family.
The Family Life Cycle
One of many young people’s fondest dreams is the establishment
of their own families. Young couples’ expectations are high as they look
toward the future. Your family will be uniquely yours, but your family
life cycle may consist of six stages that begin with marriage and end
with retirement. See 14-8.