Fostering a child is one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences a person can have. It’s an opportunity to provide a safe, nurturing environment for a child in need, and to make a lasting positive impact on their life. If you’ve ever considered becoming a foster parent, here are some insights into this important ..read more

On September 30th, communities across Canada will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. This solemn yet hopeful occasion provides an opportunity to listen, learn, and celebrate Indigenous culture while reflecting on the painful legacy of residential schools.  This year, the town of Sylvan Lake is hosting a ..read more

Marny Traverse from Crossroads Foster Care shares a story of challenge in her fostering journey as a foster caregiver. This blog is known as ‘Purpose’.   A teen who desperately wants freedom and doesn’t want to wait. This teen is chafing under our basic rules and pushing boundaries. This teen is vulnerable to the suggestions of ..read more

Valentine’s Day is almost here and we’re feeling the spirit of love! Take some time this month to share in the love with your family by trying these fun activities, crafts, and games! Valentine’s Games Valentine’s Scavenger Hunt Give your kids a challenge this Valentine’s Day with a scavenger hunt! To plan this activity, first choose a treat as the hunt’s prize (Valentine’s chocolates are a fan favourite!). Second, write a set of clues and hide them around the house (TIP! The clues should be connected to help your child find the prize. For example, the first clue might lead your child to the ..read more

At the start of the month, we discussed challenging behaviours. If you missed that post, make sure to check it out here! This week, we are taking a look at behaviour management strategies. These are proactive strategies that are used before a challenging behaviour occurs. If your kiddo has challenging behaviours, use these strategies often to build positive routines for behaviour management and take back control!     Strategy 1 – Practise and Reinforce the Desired Behaviours Do not assume that your kid knows what to do. Kids can struggle with transferring skills from one scenario to ..read more

Do you ever feel like you live in a fishbowl as a foster parent?? Or does your home feel like it has a revolving door of kids, case workers, support workers, licensing, etc.? Were you like me, when I first started, you cleaned everything, made coffee, etc. before the workers came over? Now you tidy up a little and hope they bring their own coffee instead?   Murphy’s law states that if anything can go wrong, it will.   Here is Murphy’s law in action. The time you actually do clean really well, the meeting gets cancelled or rescheduled. Then, on the day they rescheduled you seemed to ..read more

Happy New Year, fellow foster families! I’ve been doing videos the last few weeks with Crossroads, but this time I thought I would try my hand at writing a blog. I don’t know if you feel the same way as I do when January starts. You make plans, not necessarily resolutions. At least I don’t call them that. I call them plans or strategies. This year I have a few plans. My first is to be more organised with paperwork. I am the biggest procrastinator when it comes to paperwork. Even if the paperwork means I get money, I still drag my feet. I don’t know why. It’s not like it’s difficult. I just kee ..read more

For the month of January, we are going to be focusing on the themes of behaviour and time management. Getting back into a routine with our kids can be tricky, especially following a long winter break. Sometimes our kids’ behaviour can be challenging to handle by ourselves. So, what can we do?   First, we ask, “What is a challenging behaviour?”   A behaviour is simply a response. It can be a response to something external, like a fly landing on our nose, or internal, like feeling hungry. Behaviours are not good or bad, they just are, and they almost always serve a purpose. A challeng ..read more

Hi Crossroads Family, it’s New Year’s Eve! The day we reflect on the year behind us, and plan for the new year ahead. I’ve always struggled with setting new year resolutions, so much so that for a long time I thought they were a bad thing. My thinking pattern was this: If I couldn’t do it before, how can I expect myself to do it now just because the date has changed? Pessimistic, right? Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of reading on goal setting and I think I’ve discovered my problem. I was setting vague goals! Take this goal: I’m going to exercise more. Sounds great, but what do I need to d ..read more

With Christmas on the horizon and New Years right around the corner, many people are planning on putting 2021 behind them and starting fresh on the 1st.  If you’re feeling the same way, I don’t blame you! 2021 was a challenging year with many ups and downs. I would like to try to turn your attention to those ‘ups’ for a moment. Today, I want to talk about gratitude. Gratitude is the practise of acknowledging the things, people, and actions you are thankful for. It can be done outwardly or just in your head, and either way is associated with a great deal of wellness benefits! Researchers a ..read more