A Christmassy tale from Tilly aged 16 - one of the winners in the Fostering Sons and Daughters writing competition: Christmas Eve. The Challenge. A roller coaster. How are these things linked? They’re the three stages of fostering. The anticipation of waiting to see if a child will be coming to stay with you for a while reminds me of the warm, tingling sensation you feel as you clamber into bed on December 24th. It’s similar to guessing what you’ll find in your stocking at the end of your bed or under the layers and layers of wrapping paper, the following morning. Will the child be a boy or a girl? What’s their name? How long will they be a part of your family for? It’s a surprise. The period of time that you care for a child is what I like to call ‘The Challenge’. Your task is to ensure that that amount of time, whether it be for six weeks or a year, is the absolute best you can make it. For whatever reason, through no fault of their own as sometimes the circumstances are just unfortunate, the child’s family is unable to care for them. This is where you step in. You’re there to offer these children an escape from the environment they’ve just left. You’re there to show them a good time. Perhaps they’ve never had toys to play with. So you share yours. Perhaps they didn’t have a good relationship with their siblings. So you show them that even though brothers and sisters can drive you crazy sometimes, they’re the best friends you’ll ever have in life. It’s your job to show them that they’re just as special as you and I and although this stage in their life is a little rocky, things DO get better. Whether better is going back to live with their birth family when the problems have been resolved or whether better is starting a new life with an adoptive family, it’s your duty to make the stage in between the best it can be. It’s your challenge. Finally, the roller coaster. Saying goodbye to somebody who has been a part of your family for any length of time is difficult. But it’s also incredible. It’s a whole mixture of things. It’s a roller coaster of feelings; you’re sad because your phase in their life is coming to an end but you’re happy to see them moving on, starting a new chapter. You feel proud, knowing that you’ve given them the best time they could ever hope for and that it really has made a difference to their life. Even if roller coasters make you go weak at the knees, when the ride is over you feel exhilarated. You feel a sense of accomplishment. You overcame your fear of loop-the-loops or your fear of heights and you managed to survive the whole ride. You did it! This is how you’ll feel when you say goodbye to your foster child. You and your family overcame the difficult days when the child you cared for missed their parents or misbehaved. You overcame the days when you wished you could have all your toys to yourself or you could have a bit of space. You over came all the obstacles and you made it to the end, knowing you gave that child the best time of their life. You did it! Personally, I think fostering has changed my life too. It’s made me appreciate my family more than ever because now I realise not everybody is as lucky as I am to have such a great family. It’s made me think a little less about myself and a little more about how I can help others. I’ve also made some new friends, thanks to the Sons & Daughters group! The children of families who foster get to go out on trips to places like the Birds of Prey centre in Alderley Edge and Alton Towers to make sure we get a chance to relax and meet other people who are going through the same things! Fostering not only changes the lives of children in care, but for the families who provide that care. Tilly, aged 16
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 09:03:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015