A day out in our world
George is 14. His mum, Jo, has been fostering for 10 years. He’s a confident young man, though of course he is as bashful as his mum about all this, taking everything they do, in their stride.
He plays his Playstation, sits and scrolls on his phone as do most of his school mates. He’s doing well at school taking some of his GCSE’s a year early, and his favourite subject is food tech. He is also the reason one of the fostered children in their household simply lights up when he enters the room.
Sometimes we want to give a shout out to the children of our foster carers. In George’s case recently, a member of the public was struck by how “impressive” he was, on a random day out… We wanted to share this story because it will resonate with many of you.
Soft play centres can be fun
...but let’s be honest, they are also pretty noisy and a bit chaotic. Rosy red faces prove the kids have a good time, so we take them on days out there. Rarely does a soft play trip go without a bump or two. On this day, George had gone with Jo to help her with their young, fostered children who they took to meet up with their siblings. Managing high chairs, pushchairs and wriggly children with one pair of hands can be tricky, and George loves to be involved and help out.
After an incident in a tunnel with one little lad, their little fostered girl was pinned down by the same lad… George was in the soft play area having fun with them, but decided it was time to scoop them both up and head over to Jo. Time for lunch as a diversion!
An emotional moment
They sat eating lunch and swapping food, happy faces and full tummies. George looked up and a lady was stood looking at him. She smiled, so he smiled back. Probably a coincidence that he looked up at the same time. Maybe she was a bit nosey, or just looking at the kids being cute, he thought.
But then the lady went up to Jo and started speaking to her. Jo recalls her saying “He’s really choked me up. He’s so nice, very impressive and so good with the kids” A total stranger had felt compelled to praise George. She didn’t know the children were fostered, she had just seen their lovely relationship and how natural he was with them. To Jo, George and their fostering family, it’s just “a day out in our world”.
Some kids 'get it'
George has been a member of the YPWF group (Young People Who Foster) as some of you know. “With a mix of ages in the group, lots of the meet-ups need to be entertaining for the younger kids. But I remember a while ago there was a session about neurodiversity” says George. He knows that “some children’s heads work differently”. Jo has also explained to George and his sisters how “fostered children are wired for survival” after the trauma they may have experienced.
The YPWF group is a great space for children of foster carers to meet up with others who understand that not all families look the same and why some children behave the way they do. They can chat, learn and reflect on what fostering means to them. It can help to understand certain behaviours and how to deal with feelings when young people move on.
George is happy when he tells me “We’ve kept in touch with pretty much everyone who’s moved on. I want to stay in touch” and the family are looking forward to seeing some who are going to visit them over Christmas.
An inspiration with aspirations
George wanted to be a marine biologist when he was little. He’s 14 now, “I’m being more realistic about a job” and thinks a good apprenticeship is the route for him. “I’d like to own my own kitchen or café one day… but fostering wouldn’t be out of the picture for me in the future”
Jo laughingly says she wouldn’t work for him, “he’s a bit of a task master!” and George replies, smiling at her, “me and my sister have been around kids a lot, we’ve adapted. We both see a lot of ourselves in Mum”
So from the ESCC Fostering Service, thank you George. You are a very kind young man; a great role model for the young people you welcome into your family’s home. We wish you all the best in your studies and keep in touch about your café. You already have a whole lot of excited customers right here.