GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Time for One Good Thing -- someone or something that makes West Michigan a good place to live. There is helpful, free resource for any foster parents in the area -- or anyone thinking about becoming a foster parent.
Foster Kent Kids is offering a weekly virtual series on parenting during the pandemic called "Parenting Through Trauma." It's every Wednesday during May, which is also Foster Care Awareness Month. The first class was last week.
But, the good thing is that after you register, they will all be available in perpetuity on the website. You can watch whenever you have time. They go through several different topics. Perhaps most importantly, however, is the idea of secondary trauma.
"When you're caring for someone or engaging with someone and you're witnessing their experiences, the painful effects of that trauma, and you're hearing their stories, their trauma becomes your own personal trauma," said Nakia Kyler with West Michigan Partnership for Children. "So as you're loving on them and caring for them, you're now owning that trauma as well. So, although you did not experience it, you experience it secondarily. So, that's why it's called secondary trauma. So just because you may walk away after listening to that story, it doesn't mean the pain is not being carried in your heart. So we want to help individuals navigate through how you might be carrying someone else's trauma."
One Good Thing to the Foster Kent Kids "Parenting Through Trauma" series for Foster Care Awareness month. If you want to learn more or register, click here..
If you have a One Good Thing you'd like to submit - someone or something that makes West Michigan a good place to live - email me with your photos and/or video at OneGoodThing@13OnYourSide.com.