Alice – Fostering Blog
Thursday.
It is never dull in a fostering household. If there isn’t a drama occurring with your foster child or your own birth children, then it will be something in your own life. This week Charlie has been pretty stressed at work. His boss is pretty chaotic at the best of times, but just recently he has become erratic to say the least. Charlie hasn’t had an evening in for nearly a month – which is mainly due to his boss’ bad scheduling. Whilst Charlie is around between school pick up and tea time, he is out before the girls go to bed – leaving me to the bedtime routine.
I know that I am beginning to lose my patience with the girls as they come up with various reasons and tactics to delay bedtime. I have also noticed that I have been having some back pain in the last few weeks and wonder if it is linked with me carrying Alice up to bed each night and carrying her in and out of the bath too. As the days go on, I know that things are getting harder. This is when Alice really tries my patience. I’m pretty sure when I am at my most tired, and all I want is an early night, she plays up and goes on a ‘go slow’ getting into her pyjamas. She then refuses to lie still to let me put her overnight catheter in. I can feel my blood pressure rising and I don’t want to end up shouting… I try my breathing techniques and try to think of a happy place. Sometimes it works and other times, I feel like I am losing the plot.
I am not the only one that is fed up, Charlie is pretty fed up of the work schedule. After letting things go for a few weeks, he finally approached the subject with his boss. He was relieved that he took it well, and listened to Charlie as he offered some suggestions about their schedule and how they could plan a little better meaning that that they would both get more evenings at home. I know his boss hasn’t been deliberately difficult, it has simply been a matter of poor management.
I am so proud of Charlie for raising it with him and find a solution. I am now very much looking forward to Charlie’s new work timetable – starting next week!!
A Less Ordinary Fostering Family Blog.
