Families are the foundation of society. When we care for and protect children, we ensure that future generations thrive as well. The devastation that abuse and neglect cause have taught us the immense impact - good and bad - that parents have on children. This book will enlighten readers beyond those directly involved with foster children to see the resiliency and potential that can be hidden in these vulnerable girls and boys. Each of our foster children has blessed our lives with his/her own unique story. Throughout these pages, you will read real-life stories of both the hardships and the successes that show the impact that the foster children and our family have had on each other. This book is about those amazing children and is the culmination of decades of our love, grit, determination, compassion, and desire to teach all our children that they deserve a chance to work toward a better future.
“I finished this book. [It's] OUTSTANDING! I cannot believe how enlightening and inspirational it was. I cannot say enough about it. All the stories, the ups and downs, and [the Paydos'] incredible attitude and selfless acts. It is mind blowing. A lesson for all. My understanding of foster care is so different now.” - Review from Reader
Veteran foster parent Paydo offers a window into the everyday life of the foster care system in this thoughtful debut, writing that “fifty percent of newly licensed foster parents quit after the first year of service.” Drawing on her experience with over 135 foster placements, Paydo admits the struggles involved and offers tried and true tips for success, emphasizing throughout that effective foster families must be adaptable, loving, and communicative to build healthy habits in the lives of their foster children. In acknowledgment of the job’s difficulties, Paydo declares relationship building is the crux: “not once in our foster-care career did we take care of a child completely unassisted by others.”Structured from the bottom up, this guide first lays out the practicalities of foster care—including the different licenses available, levels of need, and specialized services like fostering medically fragile children—and later builds up to the ins and outs of advocacy within the larger foster system. Paydo works hard to break down misconceptions surrounding foster care, particularly its negative stereotypes in popular media, and stresses the need to dispel these myths to children who are placed in foster homes. She views her role as a conduit for healing and highlights the importance of compassion, all while recognizing that foster parents cannot meet every need of every child—a sentiment that leads to her insistence they learn to balance relationships with their own biological children as well.
Paydo’s empathy will resonate with readers, especially when she shares heartfelt stories of the many children her family has fostered over the years. Foster parenting is never easy, though, and Paydo doesn’t sugarcoat its trials. Her exhortation that all foster children be treated “with an enormous amount of respect and sincere kindness” sets the tone, and the tools she offers will give foster parents and children alike stepping stones for success.
Takeaway: A veteran foster parent dispenses valuable tools of the trade.
Great for fans of: Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter and Kristin Berry’s Keep the Doors Open.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
From Amazon..."This book was very informative. For those interested in foster care, you can really learn a lot from the insider perspective. For those not interested in participating in foster care, it was very informative and have a HUGE appreciation for those who are willing and able to open up their homes and their lives to those children in need."
From Amazon..."A beautifully written and honest look into the world of foster care. I would not only recommend this book to those considering this vocation, but to anyone who works with children. Kathleen gives practical parenting advice as well as discussing how to manage a variety of different types of relationships. This is a must read for so many!"
From Amazon..."Absolutely the most thorough book on the experience of being a foster parent. Fantastic tips and advice. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to become a foster patent or looking to support foster parents."
May 2022 Catholicmom.com article Foster Care Helps Builds a Better Culture of Life by: Susan CiancioFoster children need new experiences in life! Kathleen Paydo RN author of the book Fostering Love: A Glimpse into Foster Care, says foster children suffer all different levels of abuse and neglect. Being placed in a stable foster home with adults dedicated to improving their young lives is what combats the trauma of abuse and neglect. This book highlights aspects of foster care both for those thinking about becoming foster parents as well as community members wanting to learn ways they can positively influence the life of a foster child in roles other than foster parenting.
The pandemic has increased anxiety among many people around the world, but a new research from Ohio State University shows this is especially true for foster parents, reports Meg Shaw (news5cleveland.com)
Ron and Kathleen Paydo, veteran foster parents, discuss how stress surrounding the constraints of the pandemic affected the foster children who were placed with them. "The children had a lot of concerns about the safety of their parents. I thought that they were highly anxious, wondering whether their parents were healthy, many visitation schedules were disrupted and we had to do Zoom calls for visits," Kathleen said.
Ron added that extra thought and consideration was needed to promote in home learning that was suddenly thrust upon foster parents. At the time the Paydo's had 7 school-aged foster children (from two families) placed with them and every child needed an individual parenting plan to promote learning, decrease anxiety and occupy the children's time, all in an attempt to give the children a loving and stimulative environment in which to thrive.
Jerry Cirino, host of the Fides Podcast, sheds light on the American foster child through his interview with veteran foster parent and author Kathleen Paydo RN. Paydo who has been involved in the foster care system most of her adult life explains the inner workings of the system as well as the struggles and triumphs of many of her foster children. She stresses that you don't have to be a foster parent per se to posivitley influence the life of a child and highlights the paramount importance of community member involvement as well.
