Fostering Blog – Back to School.
James (name changed) is back to school! I was expecting a struggle for him to get up but no, he was up bright and early, showered and looking very smart. I had asked him if he had wanted a lift but he wanted to get the bus and get back to normal, which I respected. So off he went and I had the house to myself, which was a very strange situation.
I pottered around doing a few chores which needed doing and made a couple of calls and sent a couple of emails. I went out for a walk to get some exercise and fresh air and then went back home.
I had a long chat with James’ Social Worker after lunch. She said that it was unlikely that Mum would be able to go into rehabilitation much before July and was I ok with that.
I replied, of course, that I was and that I didn’t feel that James was ready to see his Mum yet and that he had been saying a number of negative statements about her. So we chatted about the whole situation and I told her that I always encouraged parental contact with previous placements but I just couldn’t in this situation.
I felt that Mum didn’t want to see James for any other reason than to get money from him, or me. I have had a few placements where the parent(s) have had drug issues and this seemed to be following a slightly different pattern. I did feel some sympathy towards Mum and her situation but my prime concern was James and his wellbeing.
James got home at about 5. He looked tired but was very positive about his day. He had seen his mates and he had seen Paige. He had no homework so he changed and sat down for dinner. He told me about his day and the way that the school had organised the classrooms and their working day.
He told me the sad news about a couple of parents that had died from the Virus and how one of their teachers was seriously ill in hospital. We cleared the dishes and sat and watched the two live football matches on TV. James asked about what I had been up to and had I exercised? I told him about my walk and where I went and he said that he had missed that.
I promised him that at the weekend we would go for a walk and he could choose where we went. He went to bed at 10 after checking that he had everything he needed for the next day and I pottered about for an hour or so before having a hot soak and then bed.
I found it difficult to sleep for some reason. I was thinking back about previous placements and how things had gone.
I often wonder how those young people are now and how their lives are going. I keep in touch with a few but I normally find that if the young people go back to their parent(s) then they are quickly encouraged to drop and contact with me. Eventually I drifted off.
Fosterman – A Simply Fostering Blogging Foster Carer.
