Plant a Seed, Raise a Child

If you know gardening, then you know that spring bulbs are planted in the fall. That is because these flowers, as eye catching and lovely as they are in the spring, need more time than you would expect to get there. The gorgeous tulips and lilies we see lining people’s lawns in April and May are sitting in the soil as early as September, sprouting roots and getting ready to leave the comfort of their bulb. Think of your foster children like these little bulbs. You may pick them up in the fall, shy and unsure, not yet used to the unfamiliar environment they are in. If they are not nurtured, they may never change. They will remain shy and unsure, they won’t ever get comfortable, and they won’t ever come out of their shell; the same way a bulb that doesn’t receive ample water and sunshine will never burst from the confines of it’s seedling.

Raise a foster child the same way you would plant a beautiful spring perennial. Nurture them. Show them compassion and kindness like they may have never experienced, and watch them begin to put down roots. They will begin to get more comfortable in their new environment and they’ll start to let you in as you get to know each other. Shower them with as much water as they need to grow. Feed their emotions, allow them to talk to you, get to know them and their favorite things and who they are, and watch them start to sprout leaves. They will start to grow even more, learning and following rules, building relationships, and maybe even enjoying their newfound situation. Let the sunshine in. Teach them and take them on adventures, even if the adventure is a riveting bedtime story or a walk down the street. Let them crack jokes, even if they’re terrible, and fire back with your own jokes that may be twice as bad. Do your very best to bring happiness into their lives, and watch them blossom before your eyes.

>While some spring bulbs blossom into brightly colored flowers, others only grow leaves, and some remain bulbs throughout the year. Some bulbs flower only to be replanted from one garden into another, and maybe back to the nursery it came from. Every flower is unique in its own way and has its own path, just like every child who may come into your life. Not every bulb will flower, but every ounce of kindness that you pour into a child will be carried with them. So this fall, raise a child as you would plant a bulb, and watch them grow as they are meant to.