Family Is Worth Fighting For

In most cases, you'll be able to offer a "better" life to your (foster) child—maybe your parenting skills, money, resources, opportunities, a supportive extended family, a nice house in a good school district—but your "better" does not mean “best.”

Think about it: There are parents who can offer your biological children more than you can.

Does it mean they should parent your children instead of you?

We need foundational beliefs that determine our understanding of the "best interest" of a child. Here are mine:
—Theological foundation: God created the family, and it is sacred to Him. We should be about the healing & restoration of the family, when at all possible.
—Research based foundation: Across the board, research shows that children do best with biological family. (A lot more on this in my "best interest" highlight.)
—Understanding of safety: Safety is the standard. Poverty, managed mental illness, substance abuse recovery, & different cultures/lifestyles do not equate unsafe parenting.
—Understanding of your role as foster parent: We have to humbly hold our role as foster parent. We may think we understand what's best, but we haven't been given the role of worker/lawyer/judge, and we must trust God, even if we don't trust them.

I know how hard this is-how painful & terrifying it is to watch a child go to a situation you would never choose. I know what it means to have to fight to hold these foundational beliefs.

But they're worth fighting for, because the family is worth fighting for.