31st March 2016 BLOG
After a couple of days in the kids group on holiday, the inevitable has happened – Alice has inevitably become very needy! Due to her complex needs, when she has had so much attention given to her each morning, she returns to us expecting the same. This is where we have to keep our cool. I am naturally prone to being sarcastic – and this is something that I have to keep a check on. For a start it is not appropriate to use this kind of humour with a foster child, also she takes things very literally – she really wouldn’t get it anyway!
During one particularly ‘needy’ meltdown from Alice, I realise that Alice has been in the group or with our friends children all week. We haven’t really had much family time.
Today the older girls in our group want to go on the go-carts. They are old enough to go by themselves, so I decide I will give Alice some special one-to-one time. We opt to go to the funfair. At the last minute Lauren decides that she’s not up for go-carting, so she asks to come to the funfair. Actually, this is a blessing in disguise. I am not a massive fan of funfair rides. I can just about tolerate the little train, but anything that goes around and round makes me feel dizzy and sick. As I have got older, it take me longer to recover after them, so I tend to be the one holding the bags as Charlie takes the girls on the rides.
Lauren, very kindly goes on the rides with Alice. She’s probably a bit too big for some of the rides, but she selflessly gets on, she even manages to look likes she’s enjoying herself! After an hour, I suggest we go to the older section, so that Lauren can go on a few of the bigger rides. Alice is furious! She doesn’t want to have to sit and watch Lauren on rides that she cannot go on. I remind her that we have just spent an hour on the smaller rides for her. She spends the rest of the afternoon pouting. Sometimes it feels like no matter how much we do for her, it is never enough. Even though her response has been pretty hard to take, I take a deep breath and wave at Lauren whizzing round on the waltzers! I am grateful to Lauren for her kindness today. When she got off the last ride, I treat her to a Candy Floss.
She was over the moon!
