I often ask people how they met their partner. It's always an interesting story, if only because it almost always turns out to be a one-in-a-million chance meeting.
In my case, I missed a train. The train guard was whistling as I crossed the bridge from the ticket office. I might have made it if I'd run like crazy, but I decided to get the next one. If I'd been about 50 yards closer I'd have...
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
FOSTERING AND FOOD
From time to time I need reminding of the importance of food in fostering. It's up there with love and safety.
Every day I have to make lunch boxes. Standing in the playground before school, a mum said to me "I was pleased yesterday was an Inset Day. I like having my daughter around the house. Plus, I didn't have to do a lunchbox. I hate doing the lunchbox".
The tyranny of the lunchbox.
Most parents...
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
FOSTERING, IS IT A CAREER?
I can't see myself fostering for more than about ten years. I wonder if anyone should be doing the same job, whatever it is, for more than than ten years.
Funny word "Career". On the one hand it's something you achieve by carefully going up a ladder one rung at a time. On the other hand it's something you achieve by going downhill out of control at breakneck speed because the brakes have failed.
Being...
Sunday, March 16, 2014
THE EXTRA LITTLE BIT IN FOSTERING
Bringing up children you do everything you can. But sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day, and you let some little things slide, harmless things that barely matter. I find myself doing just a few more of the little things with my fostering than my own children, probably for good reason.
It was twenty to nine last Saturday morning and the child had to be at a church hall 5 miles away in school...
Monday, March 10, 2014
WE NEED TIME ON OUR SIDE
When I was a child I hated routine. For example, every Sunday evening when Songs of Praise came on at 6.00pm it was time for me to go and finish the weekend homework, then put my school uniform out for the morning. My radio alarm went off at 7.30am every morning and I'd lie there listening to the Radio One news, then at just before 7.35am Tony Blackburn would play whatever was number one in...
Friday, March 07, 2014
FOSTERING AND THE SCHOOL
From a purely selfish point of view, foster carers can be grateful for all the turbulence in the lives of almost everybody today. So many children in schools nowadays turn up with things going on in their family's life.
When I was a child at school there were no fellow pupils in fostering, unless it was kept secret. That's a possibility of course.
We had only a very small number of pupils who we...