The road to independence for a child is their M1; heads-down-keep-going, no turning off or slowing down, fast as they can.
Independence. The independence of the 'grown up'.
With your own children you remember each junction like it was yesterday; the first time they went to the shops by themselves, the first time they came home from school by themselves, their first boyfriend/girfriend.
With your...
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
WHAT'S A PERMANENT PLACEMENT?
We were at home in the kitchen, expecting a new foster child to arrive any minute, this was a good few years ago.
When I say “we” it was myself, our Blue Sky Social Worker and a senior person from Blue Sky.
I can’t remember exactly why the senior Blue Sky person was there; it doesn’t usually happen. It was early days for us in fostering, she may have dropped in to catch-up with the greenhorns....
Sunday, June 14, 2015
SPORTS DAY AND FOSTERING
A couple of thoughts about something that comes up every summer term, and it often hits fostering quite hard: school sports day.
Blue Sky put on numerous events for their children during the school summer holidays and when they do sportyness, it's nicely done.
For me, schools could learn from Blue Sky. Schools get it wrong generally, big time.
Schools are big on the competitiveness, so the big...
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
TERRY AND JUNE MOMENT
I got myself into a sit com moment in the playground waiting for the last bell.
I found myself in a conversation with another mum, with me talking about one thing and she was talking about another.
It was to do with fostering.
I'm used to school railings looks. That is, when you foster you get used to mums gossiping about the fact that you foster. Not in a bad way actually, if anything the opposite....
Friday, June 05, 2015
TO TAKE YOUR FOSTER CHILD ON HOLIDAY?
Summer holidays are never far away; you hardly get the sand out of your suitcases and you're being bombarded with advertisements and special offers to get you back to Lanzarote.
Decisions, decisions... Abroad or GB? Same place as last year, or try somewhere new? Butlins or Pontins? (That old one was easy when I was a child; we couldn't afford either so it was Warners). To have a holiday at all? Why...