Column: Foster Parenting In Bermuda

[Column written by Senator Lindsay Simmons]

Being a foster parent is one of the most rewarding experiences one could ever have. Opening up your home and your heart to a young person in need is truly amazing. It is also not for the faint of heart.

When you welcome children into your homes one can never know what to expect.

Most foster children are your normal everyday children, simply in need of love and a secure family environment. Unfortunately, others may come with underlying emotional issues that are not easily detected.

What is most important to remember is that fostering a child will change their whole world for the better. Many want to be accepted but most of all loved. The presence of a loving caring adult to guide and protect them can be the difference in a young person choosing path A or path B.

I remember my first day as a foster parent like it was yesterday. At the time, I was only twenty-four years old. At the time, I was the youngest foster parent in Bermuda.

In my heart and mind, I had grand plans that I was going to be the best foster mother by teaching her everything that a mother teaches a daughter, and most of all love her.

Strangely enough, it was she that taught me how to tap into my inner patience and to learn that I should not be too proud to reach out for help from others when needed.

I was able to use tools that were taught in training seminars to be a better foster parent and ultimately a better mother.

Not every day was a perfect day, but they were all days in which I learned how to grow by inner reflection.

I would encourage anyone with time and anyone who wants to help shape future generations of Bermudians to sign up.

May is National Foster Parents Month and I would like to thank all those who have fostered children in Bermuda over the years. You are truly appreciated.

Currently, Family Services are seeking Therapeutic Foster Parents. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, reach out to the Department of Child & Family Services.”

- Senator Lindsay Simmons

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