If you have ever known someone who has acted as a foster parent for a child in Tennessee, you know the truly special gift that they give to the child. At the same time, foster parents often indicate that they receive much from their foster children as well. Many people actually end up adopting from within the foster care system. In some cases, adoptive families may have actually fostered the child before legally adopting the child.
As explained by Adopt US Kids, there is no requirement necessarily to foster a child before adopting them but there may be some benefits to doing so. One of these benefits is that the foster period allows both the child, the parents and any other family members to begin their bonding process sooner rather than later. Because there is no biological tie and often a foster child is not an infant, this can be very important.
People interested in adopting foster children should know that these kids have often experienced serious trauma in their lives. Parents will need to learn how they should support these children and any other children in their home with respect to any issues that result from the trauma. You may choose to establish yourself as a foster parent and a potential adoptive parent at the same time even if you never actually foster a child and only seek adoption.
If you would like to learn more about the considerations involved in fostering a child and in adopting a foster child, please feel free to visit the parenting foster children page of our Tennessee family law and adoption website.