Saturday’s Blog
It has been an interesting few days since Alice was discharged from the Children’s Hospital. It has felt like a huge responsibility taking care of her medical needs, with different medicines, looking after an indwelling catheter and dressing her surgical wound! Whilst I had every confidence when we were on the ward, its amazing how different it feels when it is just you at home on your own without the nursing team on hand! There’s a part of me that feels like we are winging it a bit. But we keep reminding ourselves that we are doing a good job, and we can call if we are concerned about anything.
Meanwhile, Lauren and Annie are glad that normal life has resumed. I think that Charlie was getting fed up of my constant reminders by text to do certain tasks at home that I would normally do. It’s not that I didn’t trust him at home with the girls… but there are just so many things that I do because I am home full time. As Lauren does not yet have a phone, I sent several messages to her via Annie, as she does not have a mobile phone yet.
It feels like as a family we are slowly readjusting back to our ‘normal’ rhythm and pattern of life, The last week or so has been tough, but I have been really proud of the way we have all coped. In particular it has been important for me to see how capable our own children are in terms of getting themselves ready for school, and helping Charlie around the home with household tasks. It is a reminder also that they are ready to take on more responsibility around the home. So often it is too easy to do all the work and the tasks yourself, not trusting others and not helping them to learn valuable skills. Annie and Lauren are entering a stage of life where such contributions to the household are as important for them as they are for the rest of the family!
I am sure there will be times as teenagers where taking on responsibility around the house will be annoying, but overall they seem the thrive and respond well to it. It reminds me also that we are fostering as a family, and this is a wonderful way in which Annie and Lauren can contribute meaningfully to both Alice’s care, and also the overall life of the family. And the best part of all? They are becoming experts in making a nice cup of tea!
A Less Ordinary Family Foster Care Blog
