16/05/2026
A day in the life of our fostering family!
"On a school day we wake up and are straight into crazy mode, making sure 5 kids are ready for school, had breakfast, have their PE kits etc. Most mornings both of us head out on two different school runs, including a stop at the park for one of us as school start times don’t quite align. The days are mixed… we both pick up some work tasks, but it’s interspersed with looked after children reviews, education meetings, chatting with social workers, writing up records etc. Once a week we try and go out for lunch together… evening dates aren’t so easy these days!
"As school pick up approaches, some anxiety begins to creep in… how will things be after school? What will the teacher tell us today? What kind of mood will the little one be in? It can set the mood of the whole house!
"We keep crunchy snacks and toys in the car to keep him occupied or be a distraction, and make sure we make a big fuss about how much we’ve missed him. Reconnection is so important!
"After school consists of being a taxi driver for all the after school activities, school clubs, revision classes, karate, swimming lessons, dance classes, social worker visits, play therapy; as well as supervising homework, making tea and above all managing everyone’s emotions after a long day at school.
"Having ages ranging from 7 to 17, we feel ourselves gradually relax as one by one they go to bed… trying to have some one-to-one time with each child before they head to bed.
"By 9pm just the older birth children remain. We fall asleep in front of the TV because it feels all wrong to go straight to bed and not have any time to wind down. Even after we head to bed we are processing the day as we get ready. Some days we are so exhausted we fall asleep right away. Sometimes the chaos of the day lingers in restlessness. What could we have done differently? I wish I’d kept my temper in check. Wasn’t it a breakthrough when that child cracked a joke? Who needs to do what tomorrow to make it all run smoothly?"
