Celebrating Christmas with your foster child for the first time is a blessing.
However, Christmas is different for foster kids than it is for children who live with their biological family or have a consistent home dynamic throughout their lives. As a foster parent, you must be aware of these distinctions to approach this season of firsts with empathy and sensitivity. Fortunately, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Last month, we talked about giving foster children the proper support and encouragement amid the challenges of Christmas time. Today, we’re diving deeper into those challenges to go more in-depth on how you can offer support and when to do so. To learn more, just keep reading!
Celebrating Christmas with Your Foster Child: Understanding the Challenges
Giving and Receiving Presents
Most kids, in real life, on TV, and on social media, are always eager to receive a Christmas present and will gladly draft you a handwritten list of everything they want from “Santa” or you.
Many foster kids, on the other hand, feel anxious about asking for Christmas presents for a variety of reasons. This is often rooted in past experiences of losing special gifts and personal items of personal or sentimental value when moving from one foster home to another, whether taken by the new family, kept by the previous family, or misplaced.
[Our Advice on Thoughtful Holiday Gift Giving for Foster Families]
The spirit of giving can also vary for foster kids. A lot of children, in general, aren’t really interested in giving gifts, whether it’s because they don’t yet comprehend the joy of making someone smile with a gift or because they haven’t had compassionate adults create opportunities and examples of that joy.
Others, however, reflect on the hardship they endured in foster care and want to “give back” during the holiday season by volunteering for good causes. Encouraging open communication is the key to finding out what your child thinks about exchanging gifts.
Their Traditions vs. Yours: Why not Both?
Neurodivergent kids almost always have a hard time embracing change in routine or plans and anticipation. Considering the high prevalence of neurodivergence among kids in the child welfare system, it’s easy to see why so many foster kids feel anxious about adapting to all-new holiday traditions.
Still, the traditions your foster child knows and loves from their past families don’t have to clash with yours. Instead, you can talk about the traditions most important to them, make some compromises, and embrace Christmas traditions from both your pasts.
Missing Their Last Foster Family
Even if you’re the best foster parent this world has ever seen, it’s very possible that your child still has a place in their heart for a previous foster family or even people they remember from their biological family.
So, don’t take it personally; instead, try out one of our ideas from last month’s blog, like writing a Christmas card or visiting the previous family (if you have contact with them) to connect with them.
Giving Foster Kids a Good Christmas
We work hard to give our foster children the best Christmas we can each year at the Alabama Free Will Baptist Children’s Home, and we are grateful to get to share some of our experiences as guidance for new foster parents. Thank you for reading our blog!
We need your help to continue giving our many young residents a loving family, constant examples of Christ’s love through our ministry, and a supportive home. As a non-profit, gifts from our generous donors aren’t just appreciated—they’re absolutely vital.
If you would like to support our home in this season of giving, please visit this page. We are so grateful for every contribution and invite our donors to check out our newsletters for a glimpse of your impact on our ministry.