Helping With Attachments

Thursday night we learned about dealing with attachments. Through examples and classwork, we learned that Attachment is the affectionate and emotional tie between people that continues indefinitely over time and lasts even when people are geographically apart.

If there is no attachment, there are several things that do NOT occur, according to research. The importance of attachment is that through it, a child learns to:

1. Develop a Conscience
   
2. Become Independent
   
3. Develop Future Relationships
   
4. Deal with Stress, Frustration, Fear and Worry
   
5. Think Logically
   
6. Grow and be Healthy

We learned the Four Healing Emotions; Anger, Sadness, Fear and Sorrow. Through examples, we tried to ascertain where certain sample children fall in this process. It was very eye-opening and disturbing at the same time.

We also worked on ways to develop positive attachments between parents and children.

So far in this process, the main thing we have learned is that a child in foster care is a complicated bundle of fear, anger, hurt and confusion, with most of them trying to hide it and be brave.

What are we doing to our children?