If you choose to foster children on a long-term basis, that can mean they will be a part of your household for many years. As such, your foster child will be around for all of your key life milestones, whether that’s moving house, changing jobs, or getting married. It’s important to recognize that depending on their background, some of these events could be intimidating experiences for them. For foster kids to truly feel like they are a part of your family, you want to make sure they are included in them rather than pushed to one side. With that in mind, here are some top tips for how you can make your wedding less intimidating for your foster children.
Talk to them about it openly
The first step is to be sure that you discuss the prospect of your wedding and what it means openly with your foster child. As adults, we don’t always know how children view the world and our actions, so you might not be aware of your foster child has any negative feelings about the day. Reassuring them might be as simple as correcting a misunderstanding; however, if there is a deeper issue, you can always discuss how to approach and solve it with the experts at thefca.co.uk. It’s a good idea to include your partner in some of these discussions, but not all of them – just in case your foster child is too nervous about being fully honest in front of them.
Get them involved in the planning
One great way to ensure that your foster child doesn’t feel intimidated by the prospect of your wedding is to get them involved in the planning part of it. Bring them to different venues with you and ask their opinion on them, or at least show them around the location you have chosen in advance. That will eliminate the potential anxiety of being in a strange new place on the day. You can also discuss options for what they can wear for the ceremony together, rather than just picking something for them which they might find uncomfortable. The more he or she knows about what to expect, the less nerve-wracking the day should be.
Include them on the day
It’s also a nice idea to include your foster child in the actual wedding itself. Depending on their age and personality, they might like to be a flower girl or page boy or even read out a poem at the ceremony or reception. Plus, be sure to include them in lots of your photographs! By making your foster child an integral part of the day, they are less likely to feel as though they are being pushed out of your family or replaced. Of course, there will be times on the day itself when you cannot be with them. For those moments, make sure they have a dedicated person to look after them. It’s important that they meet this person in advance so that they know who they are and feel comfortable and happy spending time with them.
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