All the little things that go to make up family life are somehow heightened in fostering.
It has to do with the changing shape of your home as young people come and go or come and stay.
When your home is peopled by your own flesh and blood, children who've been with you from birth, they've grown up with you, you know them and their ways and vice versa.
In families, big things get discussed thoroughly and decisions get made.
Like I said at the top, it's the little things, and there seem to be more little things in fostering than with ordinary families.
"Like what?" you may wonder. Okay; little things like this;
Does a sweatshirt go into the laundry basket after one wear?
Is it okay to kick off shoes inside the front door and leave them, one under the telephone table, the other on the other side of the hall?
Is it okay to even ask for a lolly with tea under an hour away?
Is it the responsibility of whoever uses the last sheet of toilet paper to hang a new roll and put the cardboard tube in the recycling bin?
Capice?
But the problem I've always had is that trying to deal with these little things on the hoof is a) hard graft and b) it goes in one ear and out the other.
I've been in fostering long enough to know that you need to be always on the look-out for new ideas.
And we've road-tested one and it's come up smelling of roses!
We had a Family Board Meeting.
I dressed it up for fun, 7.00pm kitchen table. Table had a sheet of paper and pencil for each of us, there was Fanta, and a bowl of jelly beans.
I didn't overload the agenda, and managed to get a good discussion and agreement on my big bugbear at the moment which is stuff (banana skins, crisp packets, empty tea mugs) being left lying around.
Laundry practice was agreed, and the chairman agreed to extend the fruit bowl from bananas and apples to grapes and berries. We confirmed that fruit can be eaten at any time without having to ask, but crisps and ice cream has to be asked for and don't bother if cooking is going on; a meal is imminent.
It was civilised, grown up, and a great many birds were killed with one stone.
The next one is scheduled for a fortnight, to keep the momentum going.
However.
...I'm a bit worried that there may already be a plot to form a power block and squeeze me out.
As Shakespeare said, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
0 comments:
Post a Comment