“Interviewer”: Interviewer • “YUNG”: Mrs YUNG

Interviewer:	Why do you participate in foster care service?
YUNG:	Both my husband and I love children.  When we learnt about this service, we wanted to take part in it and help those in need, in the hope that they could also get family warmth and grow up healthily.  Besides, our daughter also wanted to have a little sister to play with and we hoped she could learn sharing and tolerance by getting along with other children.
Interviewer:	Do you think it is difficult to be a foster parent?
YUNG:	No.  Actually I teach them all as my own daughter.  However, I feel somewhat frustrated in toilet training.  I have tried different ways, but there seems to be no obvious progress.  Run-in time and skills are also required for biological parents.  There are some minor problems not difficult to deal with.
Interviewer:	In your view, what is the biggest benefit of taking part in this service?
YUNG:	We have more fun and everyone is happy, especially my daughter who feel that she has two new sisters.  The two children are so cute and funny and cheered me up sometimes, making me feel that all the efforts are worthwhile and I really helped them.  Their progress gives me a great sense of achievement.
Interviewer:	Do you have any experience to share?
YUNG:	I think we parents should reason with children and explain to them in detail.  As foster parents, we should set an example of good, not bad, virtue for them.  Moreover, if the children feel that you really care about them and want the best for them, they are willing to listen to you.  Besides, rewards and punishments are also very important, and parents should adopt different disciplinary methods for different children.

When we served as emergency foster parents, we took care of many children with different backgrounds, and one of them impressed us most.  He was three and a half year old when he came to my family.  He could not speak a word or eat by himself because he was autistic.  He would keep shouting when he felt upset.  If we brought him outside, he would keep walking ahead and did not allow us to stop or turn around, let alone take public vehicles.  At that time we were frustrated and thought of giving up.  Later, we kept trying and repeatedly exposed him to different unfamiliar environments.  Through our constant encouragement and awards, coupled with our patience and hard work, he finally could speak simple words and eat by himself, making us feel pleased and happy.  In the past, we always thought that it was easy to take care of children, but he made us understand that taking care of children with special needs requires much more efforts, and the feeling of satisfaction and success that you get cannot be bought with money.  We believe our efforts will not be wasted.