We’ve carefully selected these blogs because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information. Nominate your favorite blog by emailing us at bestblogs@healthline.com!
This year, over a quarter of a million children will enter foster care homes. Foster parents offer temporary full-time care for children whose parents, for many reasons, can’t care for them. Foster care requires big adjustments for both foster parents and children. Finding a supportive and well-informed community is vital for people in a unique situation like foster care. The following foster parent blogs create a sense of kinship and support for fellow caregivers by offering insights — both humorous and heartbreaking — along with invaluable tips, resources, and encouragement.
This therapist-artist pair chronicle their journey from fostering to adopting two toddler boys. Now they’re fostering a young girl. As a same-sex couple with transracial kids, these moms give a much-needed voice to diverse families. The blog offers practical information, like tips to organize a busy family’s schedule and healthy, kid-friendly recipes. Other posts offer refreshing, personal anecdotes on dealing with the system and the struggle to find balance while parenting many children.
Written by over a dozen mothers across the United States, Dropping Anchors offers encouragement and information for fellow foster parents and people considering fostering. The blog includes profiles, such as Kelli’s, to show how other parents came to foster or adopt. In 3 years, Kelli ended up adopting 3 kids under the age of 4. Some moms also share personal anecdotes, like the struggle with postplacement depression. You’ll also find lighthearted stories and tales about the joys of knowing you’re making a difference in a child’s life.
Jason Johnson is a minister in Dallas, Texas and founder of the nonprofit Orphan Care Network. He began his blog as a resource for adoptive and foster families. He hopes to inspire and encourage parents and catalyze orphan care in communities across the country. The blog shares practical advice, such as how to respond to common comments people make to foster parents and how to talk to a partner who’s not sure they want to foster. It also offers motivational posts on the real costs of fostering or adopting and spiritual guidance for families.
Mary launched her blog to educate and advocate for fostering, and to vent about her experiences adopting three foster care children and caring for many others. Much of the blog is a how-to resource for prospective parents with tips on making the decision and advice on fostering or adopting. Other posts discuss common debates within the community, like whether to adopt older or younger kids and from where. You can also find stories on the emotional journey of parenting.
The Forgotten Initiative offers faith-based resources, support, and networking for foster and adoptive parents around the country. Readers get tips to prepare to become a foster parent. Bloggers share stories, like what their foster children taught them. The blog also offers unique perspectives, like this lovely poem on what foster care means to one mom.
With her partner, Penelope has over a decade of experience. She’s fostered more than 20 kids and shares her tips and learnings about the process in her blog. Her writing cover struggles, like behavior issues among the many foster kids who’ve experienced trauma. The blog also describes the many joys, like celebrating a new arrival and real foster success stories.
Get advice from leading international foster care expert and director of the Foster Care Institute, John DeGarmo, EdD. He has written a number of books on fostering, and he and his wife have six adopted and biological children of their own. Many posts are written by outside contributors, such as this post on what surprised one foster mother about adopting. Dr. DeGarmo also shares his advice, like coping with fear when caring for a new foster child.
Shivonne Costa and her husband were devastated by infertility until they decided to foster. They ended up adopting siblings almost immediately. Within a couple of years, they found out they were unexpectedly pregnant, and their family grew to four. Through her blog, Shivonne shares common struggles like doubting your parenting skills and decisions, along with motivation to make a difference. She also advocates for fostering and adoption causes, like lack of state funding.
This official blog of the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) offers kinship and support for the fostering community. Readers come for helpful resources, like expert videos on managing challenging behavior in foster children. Some posts offer personal anecdotes on the ups and downs of being a longtime foster parent. Others offer tips, like how to talk to older kids about adoption, along with foster care advocacy.
This nonprofit family services organization serves over 600 children who’ve been abandoned, abused, or neglected in Northern California. Employees specialize in social work, special education, counseling, and Child development. The group serves as an adoption and foster care agency as well as group home. The center’s blog covers basic topics, such as myths about adoption and foster care. It also offers helpful general information for parents of adopted or foster care children, like tips for self-care during the holidays.