Fostering Blog – James.
After a week of James (name changed) being back at school it seemed weird having him at home over the weekend. For him it was great, lie in and no lessons. We stuck to our exercise routine and, obviously gorged ourselves on football and (healthy) snacks.
We did our normal chores of tidying and washing and we also had a food delivery which had to be put away. But it was good having James about and he always provides entertainment. One of my sons came over on Sunday which meant him and James spent a couple of hours playing games on the PlayStation.
So with the weekend finished James went off to school and I continued with my weekly routine. On the Monday I was invited to join in a Webinar regarding men in Fostering. The Webinar consisted of me, the Chairman and, strangely, a number of women.
I gave my opinion on a number of issues and it felt strange hearing the women talking about the benefits of men in Fostering. Most of their points were valid but it was slightly ironic. The highlight of the meeting was one of the women being attacked by her Budgie. I think she thought nobody had noticed but the fact that most of us were laughing gave the game away.
After the main discussion had finished I spoke to the Chairman and asked him, frankly, why there were no other men involved. He replied that it had been recommended that it shouldn’t be an all male discussion as it gave the ‘wrong message’.
I despair. We promised that we would keep in touch as our discussion had been lively and enjoyable and that we both felt strongly about men being more involved in Fostering.
James came home full of the joys as he had got a really good score in a test for a subject he really struggled with. It was good to see him enjoying school and really moving forward with his education, something that I thought very strongly about.
One thing I do like to discuss and impart on young people is the kind of information that they will need in future when they leave school and enter into work or further education. I have had a number of discussions with James with regards to budgeting his income, saving and paying his bills. We have also discussed subjects such as opening a bank account and property matters such as renting or buying a house.
A lot of these discussions were general and not too in depth but helped plant a seed with regards to future conversations.
Our evening was spent watching football and relaxing. James had all his ‘stuff’ ready for the next day and he went to bed after the match had finished.
I reflected on the day’s events, updated my diary and checked for emails. I got into bed and fell asleep pretty quickly. The next day was pretty much the same as James went off to school and I attempted to do a YouTube yoga class and fell over bruising my knee and my dignity.
Fosterman – A Simply Fostering Blogging Foster Carer.
