I think 2020 is down on record as the worst year ever. It’s been such a tough year, so time to put it behind us and start a fresh… Except for my job that is…
I have never really been as happy and relieved as to have chosen fostering as my career, I see on social media the struggles that people are going through being out of work etc., or not being able to juggle child care with their jobs, luckily at the moment I don’t have that problem, I work from home. It’s been a blessing at the moment that I am able to home school and stay in and keep my family safe.
To add to the stress of living with Covid, just before Christmas my husband passed out at work and cut his head. He had to go to hospital to have it glued and while he was there they found a blip on his heart, long story short he came out of hospital 9 days later with a pacemaker fitted at 49 years old. I feel so lucky to be in the job that I am in, as it meant I was at home to help with his recovery. Also I feel we would have had problems if I had not been in the position I am in, working from home and not having to be furloughed like a lot of people and we have not suffered. You don’t know what’s round the corner but as a Foster family, we are a team and we face things together.
We have had a lovely Christmas break and for a change my hubby was home for all of Christmas so it made it more special. It was quieter just my mum and us but we were grateful for what we had and its really moving seeing a foster child fit into family life and thrive and look forward to Christmas. To see our foster child’s face when he came downstairs and saw the presents under the tree and says excitedly “he’s been, Santa’s been” that is priceless. There are too many children out there who don’t experience the simple things in life, the things we sometimes take for granted.
I remember when I was a volunteer at a primary school and we were fund raising for the school children’s bucket list. I was absolutely shocked to find some of the children were saying “I want to see a real cow or sheep”, “I want to feel what sand at the beach feels like”, and “I would love to try cake.” It broke my heart that some of the things they hadn’t experienced were so simple.
If you are over 21 and have a patient and caring nature and at least 1 spare bedroom and are prepared to put in the hours, fostering could be for you too. This isn’t a 9-5 position, its 24 hours a day including weekends, however you can earn a good wage, have endless ongoing support and training and be part of an extended foster family like I am. I don’t just mean the children you care for I mean being a part of a much bigger family with the other carers.
The most important thing is the feeling you get when your child first completes something they haven’t been able to do before and you know you have given them the confidence to do that – it’s your hard work that has put them there, it may just be something simple like having the confidence to go to school and make a friend. You have helped that child face and conquer their fears.
So if this is you then why not give fostering some thought. If you want to know more and you maybe are not ready to phone the recruitment team, you could always ask to be put in touch with a current foster carer. I can tell you from experience what it’s like to foster. I have been doing it for over 14 years now and could not imagine doing anything else. We are here to support you at your own pace. Welcome to our foster family.