“We were initially reluctant to foster teenagers because we had younger children in our home and no previous experience parenting young adults.  When our social worker called us about a local teenage girl, we decide to give it a try.  We soon realized there were new issues we had to deal with related to parenting a teen including phone use (both home and cell phones), dating, internet use and safety, and wardrobe issues.  We were able to quickly create appropriate house rules to address these items and it turned out to be a very positive experience for all of us.  Our foster daughter became a positive role model for our younger child and was always willing to include her in activities and help in any way she could.  As a direct result of this placement, we feel much more confident in parenting additional foster teenagers as well as our own children as they enter their teenage years.  As it turned out, the rewards far outweighed our concerns."
Doug and Laureen, Resource Parents