10 Things HAPPY Adoptive & Foster Parents Do

10 Things Happy Adoptive & Foster Parents Do

1. Make time for SELF CARE. The old saying of you can’t fill from an empty bucket is so true, especially when it applies to parenting. So…big or little, find ways to fill YOUR tank.
2. GRATITUDE. They start each day with gratitude. Feeling           grateful. Grateful for big things. Grateful for the little things. Each and every day. 
3. End each day focusing on the BRIGHT spots. Finding what was good in the day. Even on the hard days. In fact, especially on the hard days.  
4. Surround themselves with SUPPORT. With people who get it, people who live it.  
5. Start FRESH every day. Willing to start over whenever they need to. Sometimes every day. Sometimes every hour. And they allow their kiddos to as well.    
6. NURTURE their closest relationships. Their spouses, their closest friends. They invest into them. They lean on them. 
7. Have a MENTOR– someone who gets it, someone who is further along. Someone who can guide them, give them tools, lead the way.  
8. Have an ACTION PLAN. They don’t just punt. They are PROACTIVE rather than reactive. They have a plan. Sometimes Plan B, C, and D are needed.  
9. Give GRACE. To their kiddos. To their partners. To themselves.   
   
10. Have HOPE. Yes, they may falter, they may doubt. But they do whatever it takes to hold onto HOPE.