Burnout’s Baby Brother?

Compassion fatigue — it sounds like burnout’s baby brother, but there’s nothing little about it. It can get big quick and start taking over. For foster parents, it can creep in quietly, stacking up with every trauma meltdown, every phone call from school, every goodbye that leaves you absolutely wrung out. It’s what happens when you keep showing up even when your own cup is bone dry and shriveling up. It’s not a sign of weakness; it’s the mark of someone who has been deeply, constantly giving and caring, often without a pause to breathe.

Compassion fatigue doesn’t mean you don’t love the kids in your care. It means your heart has been on high alert for too long — always scanning for danger, always carrying the weight of someone else’s safety, stability, and healing. It’s being on the edge of a blow up at all times. Even the strongest, most dedicated foster parents can find themselves drained, numb, or running on fumes. It’s the natural cost of loving children through hard, messy stories while trying to hold your own life together.

That’s why foster parents need support — not just in the beginning when the placement is fresh, but all the way through the long, exhausting middle. When the meal train runs out and people aren’t inviting you over anymore because your family is big and overwhelming. Too many behaviors, too much drama. You’re isolated.

At Foster Light, we show up consistently so parents can keep showing up for kids. From therapy to laundry, from respite care to groceries, we help carry the load so compassion fatigue doesn’t have the final word. Because a supported foster parent can keep being the safe place a child desperately needs. We show up, so they can keep showing up too.