Benchmark Family Services - Terre Haute, Indiana

09/02/2026

💚 WELLNESS WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE 💚

Today we’re challenging our foster families to CATCH THEIR KIDDOS… being GOOD. 👀😂

Parenting can sometimes sound like:

“Shoes!”
“Backpack!”
“Brush your teeth!”
“Please stop doing that.”
“HOW IS YOUR ROOM ALREADY A DISASTER?!” 😭

But children who have experienced trauma especially need adults who notice more than their mistakes.

So today we’re flipping the script.

🎯 The challenge: Catch your child doing THREE things right and tell them specifically what you noticed.

Not just “good job.”

Try: “I noticed how patient you were.”
“I saw you help without being asked.”
“You were frustrated, but you handled that really well.”

Small moments of positive connection help build confidence, trust, and felt safety. 💚

And if the only thing you catch today is a wet towel actually making it into the hamper…

👏 CELEBRATE 👏 THAT 👏 CHILD. 😂

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Every kid in foster care has a track record of adults who said they'd be back. Testing you isn't defiance — it's data collection.

Somebody said they'd be back. Somebody said this placement was permanent. Somebody said things would be different this time. And then the car pulled up again.

So when a new adult says "I'm not going anywhere," the kid does the math on the evidence available and concludes, reasonably, that you're the next one. Testing you isn't defiance. It's a hypothesis he's running because he's been burned enough to need data.

The only way through it is boring: show up, do what you said, repeat, for longer than feels necessary. You're not arguing with him. You're outlasting his evidence.

Save this if you're in the testing phase right now.

08/31/2026

We’re a foster care agency. We cheer for families to heal and children to safely go home! And when that isn’t possible and adoption becomes their story, we celebrate that too! Different outcomes. Same prayer: safe, loved, and surrounded by people who aren’t going anywhere.

08/26/2026

We’re excited to welcome TREES Inc. as our September Coffee & Connections sponsor!

TREES Inc. has been serving Terre Haute and Vigo County for more than 35 years, working to enhance our community through tree planting, preservation and environmental education.

Join us on Friday, September 4 from 7:30–9:00 AM at the Terre Haute Convention Center for coffee, pastries and conversation with local professionals and community members.

Thank you to TREES Inc. for sponsoring this month’s Coffee & Connections!

08/26/2026

💙 WELLNESS WEDNESDAY 💙

As August winds down and families settle into new school-year routines, here’s your reminder:

You do not have to do it all perfectly to be doing something incredibly important.

There may be forgotten homework, rushed dinners, hard mornings, schedule changes, appointments, big emotions, and days when everyone is simply doing their best to get to bedtime.

And that’s okay. 💙

For children who have experienced instability, the little things you provide every day matter more than you may realize:

🏡 A predictable place to come home to
🍽️ Someone asking, “Did you eat?”
🎒 Help getting ready for tomorrow
👂 A safe person who listens
❤️ Someone who keeps showing up—even on the hard days

Wellness isn’t always a bubble bath, a workout, or an hour of quiet. Sometimes wellness is lowering the expectations for the evening, ordering the pizza, leaving the laundry until tomorrow, and giving yourself permission to say:

“What I did today was enough.”

To every foster parent navigating this busy season: take care of yourself, too. The work you’re doing matters. 💙