Hello,
I'm hoping for some advice from other foster carers on managing emotions of foster children.
We have a 9yr old little girl who has lived with us for almost 2yrs. Without obviously going into too much detail here - little girl is the saddest child frequently. I have tried so many things to manage her sadness, obviously comforting her being the first one, distraction (trying to engage her in playing), talking about the positives of the situation, giving her space alone, but nothing seems to work when she goes through these spells. The SW is trying to get counselling into place for her but you know what the wait lists are like.
Does anyone have experience of extremely sad children and any other tactics to manage this? Thank you
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Advice on emotions of foster daughter
Nogodsnomasters · 09/03/2024 11:31
Oxborn · 09/03/2024 11:55
I have no experience in this but you sound like a amazing fosterparent
pjani · 09/03/2024 12:01
Given her life circumstances - not living with her birth family - I think any of us would be sad. Maybe just accepting it, allowing it, sitting with her through it.
titchy · 09/03/2024 12:31
I'm not sure distraction or reminding her of the positives are particularly helpful actually. Presumably her sadness is completely understandable and justified, and not something she should be encouraged to ignore, which both those methods do.
Letting her talk as much as she wants about her past trauma and learning to accept it would be more beneficial in the long run. Plus trying to encourage her to see herself in the round, and not solely in relation to her trauma - so not the 'abused kid' but the 'kid who's brilliant at football who was also abused in her earlier years'.
Headstarttohappiness · 09/03/2024 12:41
For you. Have you had training in attachment theory? Some IFAs provide this don’t know about LAs.
For her. Can the SW get her some play therapy or equine therapy? I’ve seen good results with both of these and can work on non verbal basis.
Wishing you the very best of luck with
this amazing work you are doing!
Menomeno · 09/03/2024 12:42
I grew up in care and it can feel very sad and lonely, even with wonderful foster parents. I missed my mum and my brothers horrendously, and I constantly worried about them.
I don’t think there’s any magic wand here. You can’t change her circumstances. You sound lovely and caring, and that’s exactly what she needs. Don’t feel scared of her being sad. Allow her to feel it, and let her know that you understand that she must be feeling sad, and that’s okay. Encourage her to talk you if she wants to.
Keep pushing for the counselling. It’s disgraceful that it’s not routinely given for looked after children who will all have varying degrees of trauma. Just being removed from your family is traumatic in itself, even without other potential adverse events that may have happened.
But remember that you are doing a wonderful job. Our own maternal instincts make us want to ‘fix’ things and remove the pain, but we can’t always do that. You can give care and stability, and I promise you that one day she will look back and be really grateful and feel truly blessed that you were there when she needed you, even though she probably won’t appreciate that now. The world needs more people like you. x
Passthepickle · 09/03/2024 12:48
It isn’t like grief, it is grief. Could you do a counselling course then use some of the holding space and reflection techniques maybe? Not letting someone wallow is also invalidating the emotional response that they need to process. She needs therapy and help to articulate and manage her losses. It’s great that she is with you and you are reflective and able to parent each of your foster children as they need. Sadness is so hard for us to see in children. I hope it improves for you all.
pjani · 09/03/2024 16:05
I listened to a podcast recently where someone was expressing their deep sadness that they couldn’t remember members of their family anymore. They had lost them when they were a child. They felt angry that no-one had made up a scrapbook because it meant they never laid down their childhood memories into ‘longer-term memory’. So they were lost forever.
Right now she can remember being 6 and cry and process some of that pain.
In future without tools like scrapbooks and talking, she might forget. But that doesn’t mean the pain isn’t there, it’s just lost or buried.
So instead of sadness, which she is currently able to cry about and ask for comfort, she might feel an inchoate rage. She might feel empty. She might act out in confusion. What she is going through at the moment actually sounds as positive as it can given the circumstances she is in. She feels pain, she cries and asks for comfort. Hard to sit through but emotionally, that’s just what you’d want (and also - testament to you and the security she must feel with you).
Try and imagine this scenario. You yourself are removed from your home and every loved one - you own parents, siblings, children - and placed in a house with a kind and caring person.
You would like to look at photos of your parents, siblings, children and house to cry. Although that would be sad, wouldn’t it be a teeny tiny comfort? Wouldn’t it be one of the most meaningful things possible for you? Now imagine that kind and caring stranger wants to stop you seeing photos of your old house and kids and siblings - how much that removal would hurt.
pimplebum · 09/03/2024 18:36
... exercise , nature , massage aromatherapy
pimplebum · 09/03/2024 18:36
Validate her sadness allow her to paint pictures and talk about it find /write a song that she can relate to
Can she be linked with other child who have similar sadness. Network online so she is less alone
A celebrity who has similar life experiences?
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