Leaders and Followers

I was driving home the other day and there was an animal carcass in the road ahead of me. Usually we just straddle these obstacles and go on. That day I choose to swerve to the other lane, because there was no on-coming traffic and I was curious if the vehicle about 1/4 mile behind me would do the same. Sure enough, that vehicle swerved into the other lane as well. I was a leader, that other driver was a follower. That set me to thinking about our roles in life. As parents, we are called to be leaders. We set the example for our children. But there are times when the leaders become followers and the followers step up to be leaders. We want to teach our children through our examples, then we want to step aside and watch them become more independent, to become leaders themselves. When we see children accept the responsibility of leadership with a positive attitude, a sense of accomplishment, and an innate sense of right and wrong. then we know that we have been good leaders ourselves.

Many of the children in foster care have not had good leaders, for whatever reason. People who become parents may not have had good examples set for them, so how can they pass those leadership qualities on to their children? It is our responsibility to be leaders to those parents as well, setting the examples, giving them the opportunity to learn and then be able to step up and provide better leadership, or parenting, to their children. This is not always easy, sometimes there are obstacles that block that path. As leaders, foster parents need to look for ways around the obstacles that the birth parents and the children put in the way. We will learn along the way as well.