I’m a foster parent 😊❤❤❤ is good to hear that you have a little break ❤❤❤

Did Covid messed up fostering? Is it different now than before the pandemic hit?

So I wouldn’t be qualified if my kids have medicaid? I make too much for any other assistance but my kids do have medicaid.

How much is the total cost to become a foster parent? I really want to do this.

Definitely important to supervise and to teach which way to turn the knob for hot/cold water!! Or even cover up the knob once the bath is filled (depending on age of course) so that curious hands can’t mess with it. I was never a foster child, but I do remember being in the bath as a little girl and wanted more water in the tub. My teenage sisters were babysitting me and walked away for just a moment. I turned the water on full blast to the HOT water. I’ll never forget the feeling of panic as the water in the tub got hotter and hotter! I couldn’t back away fast enough. And I didn’t know how to “fix” it. I screamed!!! The water wasn’t nearly hot enough to cause injury, but it sure was scary to me!!! My teenage sister (right outside the door) immediately rushed in, yanked me out of the tub, calmed me down and gave me a piece of candy. I even remember what the candy was - a blue and white swirled Lifesavers lollipop. That’s how vivid that memory is. And it happened nearly 40 years ago! ❤

I have horrible PTSD but it didnt hit me until i was much older to begin the rampant sound fears that can come along with it. I cannot imagine holding that irrational panic inside as such a tiny human. Bless you and all of the babies you reach

Oh my god that poor baby 😢

im 14 my dad mentally abused me so after 6 years off it getting worse i told my school please get help i have been with my grandparents for 4 months im getting help and im so happy i did and if u go through it get help me being 14 trust me u will still have ptsd but u feel better my dad had me almost kms i would have been dead if it wasnt for my sister

Y’all as a kid I wouldn’t have wanted to eat the cucumber that was carved BECAUSE it’s shaped like a kitty. I’d be worried about hurting the kitty.

Hope you are doing ok with the fires!

I’ve been watching your content for quite a while just because I enjoyed it, not with any intent to foster at all. But last September, a family emergency found my sister fostering her grandchild which will be a long term thing. The child is 13 and as my sister and I and our partners are senior citizens, it’s been a wild ride. A lot of your content has proved very helpful. The good news is the kid is doing good even with her team of codgers.

As a picky eater that first part made me feel so much anxiety

I love this so much

I'm an autistic picky eater and it's good to know why someone likes one food and doesn't like the other. If they say they like crispy food, try to make things crispy. If they can't eat anything with a bland taste add more taste to it. Maybe they don't like how it looks or they only like food that is cut into small chunks. Maybe they quickly start to feel full and don't like it so it's better to give them small portions (but more often) or they don't like that they have to stop playing to eat so it's better to give them food rarely but a lot of it or let them eat while they're playing (i usually watch youtube while I'm eating like right now. I especially like to focus on something else when i really have to eat something that I don't like). I also eat some comfort food (potato chips) as a treat after eating a meal that I don't love. Understanding myself really helped me because now i make food that i like in a way that i like and eat it how i like. When i eat food that i didn't made i have tricks that make it better for me. Now I don't hate eating, I'm not underweight and I usually don't have deficiencies. My parents didn't understand those things so most of the time they were just forcing me to eat instead of really helping so i had to grew up and learn it myself to finally eat better

I have ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) and the pressure always makes it so much worse. This would have helped me so much before my ARFID got bad.

We need more people like you in the world😭😭

My kids have never experienced food insecurity. They always have access to the fridge & the pantry & there’s always a full fruit bowl to grab from. Those little buggers still stash food in their rooms. I don’t know why. They don’t seem to know why either. Anyway, I got them each a little mini fridge each so they can have a few snacks in their rooms & we won’t get ants because I don’t want ants!!!

Idk if you should have cloth toys in a bath in case of mold

NEW SUBSCRIBER

Hi Laura just a quick question why might kids think the helicopters are looking for you just a question feel free not to answer tho

I would love to see a video about a kid being sick and what it’s like ❤

Do you have any kids that stay with you permanently so like Andy ones adopted or biological

As a kid, I remember sitting at the table for hours. One sentence I’ve memorized from it is ‘it’s all in your head’. Yeah, no dip. Because I don’t like it. I hated it and it made me resent my dad for it. I’d throw up, gag, spit out my food, but it was relentless. This healed my inner child that still hurt from that ❤️‍🩹

Vinegar with salt on cucumbers is to die for

Jesus loves you all❤

as an autistic adult, i always felt i was wrong for feeling socially anxious. but this.. your gentle voice helps.

Hello, foster.parenting thank you for helping children in the foster system like me. I was abused by my birth parents. They put a knife in my foot in which I still have the scar for trying to eat. They forced us kids to eat cat food as food was off limits and cat food is cheaper. They actually tried to suffocate me to death because they did not want me. And I remember once they threw me across a parking lot for crying. I was malnourished as well as came into the hospital blue according to the paperwork because it was unbelievable. The Child Protective Services found out through a friend of my birth parents and Child Protective Services put me directly into a foster home. It was a scary time because you are moved around so much and so MANYYYY doctor appointments and visits. I was adopted by a family however soon after. I was a closed adoption in 2004 so I have just a little bit of paperwork regarding my birth family. It is so sad to me everytime I go to the doctor office and they ask about my medical history. I would recommend talking to the doctor prior to speaking to an adoptee so they know not to ask that question regarding medical history. It is one of the hardest parts about being an adoptee. Even after I was adopted I was still abused however I knew it was far less. Now that I am 24 years old and turn 25 this summer I finally get to go out and be on my own and have my own apartment so I can try to heal from all of this. Also another thing to add for those thinking of being an adoptees parents is to remember that we have come from a traumatizing home when we first were born so please give us patience if we get frustrated or can't explain our emotions or hide food around the bedroom or in a car. Still to this day I hide food in my car even though I know there is food I know that I purchased my car and no one can take the food I have out. Also as a kid I would hide food and I would hate when my adopted parents found the food because they would punish me for it. So sickening that people are allowed to treat kids like me this way. Anyways your content has really helped me to start healing however just know an adoptee struggles their entire life because my older sisters that were adopted before me are still struggling and they are in their 30's. Also for anyone wanting to be friends of adoptees just know that it is very hard and let me tell you I have pushed so many people out of my life even my adoptive parents at times because I am afraid of being abandoned again.... So anything you can do to make the adoptee feel safe is a plus. Make sure you explain the ways out of the house to. They are more likely to trust you if you let them lock the door at night or put away food. Hopefully this information helps anyone interested in adopting or being a foster parent. Sorry for the long paragraph.... 😭

Why are disruptions so common during holidays though?

Letting them have too many food options would make them picky meaning in tight situations the grown up child would refuse to eat if they dont like it excpecting more

No wonder sad-beige is in with crap colors like this.

You’re eating what I prepared or you can have a glass of milk and go to bed.

even though i am not a foster child or parent. It is not your fault is something i have needed to hear... for a very long time.

Tucking away the menu idea for my niece ❤

this made me so emotional, thank you for being so awesome and letting us all learn from you!!

Dino nuggies may not be the healthiest, but they’re better than nothing and WAY better than upsetting the kid

the colors are so perfect

could you do one on how too help teens after sa with triggered about everything I don't know how to help

Do u think u could make a video about how u would react if a foster child came out gay or trans to u? Also i love your videos!

It makes me sick knowing why some kids are scared to bathe. I love that you do what you do, but I wish you didn’t have to.

Asian parents has joined the chat

im gonna try this on my bf

I wish more foster parents actually cared about theyre foster kids like this

My grandma always made it sound like there is this ultimate super food out there and if I don't try out everything, how will I ever be able to find it? So I did and I never stopped. XD

You are SO interesting! I absolutely love your page - there is so much to learn from you!

- FASD specific challenges - TBRI - Global Developmental Delays - addressing lack of stranger danger, and kids "shopping around for their next parents" as a coping response to past trauma - if you have openness with any of the kids who previously stayed with you, what that experience is like

Im an adult with bathroom PTSD from childhood SA. Thank you for saying they didnt have to 😢❤ even in my 30s i have to tell myself that sometimes, and it's so difficult to be gentle with yourself if nobody else ever was.

My name is Laura too

You are a precious angel!!!

Do you tell children that you love them, like saying goodnight I love you etc, if you’ve had them for a long time, or is that considered inappropriate? ❤

What’s the difference between a foster agency and county?