A whole lot of love

Our little fella had a birthday recently. Actually he’s not so little any more! He’s not far off teenage, as he likes to remind me. As is the tradition for children everywhere, he had a pile of presents waiting for him in the morning. There was so much excitement as he opened present after present and I took photos so I could remember to say thank you to everyone who had been so very kind to him. There were presents from his parents, his birth family, from his foster family, his wider foster family and friends.

I put his cards up on the side and he came over to look at them. Never one to miss an opportunity I looked at him and said “Look how many people love you!” He smiled. There in front of him was a representation of the supportive relationships in his life. The people who cared enough to remember him on his birthday, and also those who care enough to show up in a supportive and loving way. Every child needs people who think they’re amazing, and this child has them. They all want him to succeed. 

Now I’m painfully aware that for children in care this isn’t always the case. Birth family may not manage to give cards or gifts for whatever reason, and the child may have a small network of relationships. However, the power of even a few significant people showing that they care is immeasurable. For a child to look at their birthday gifts and know that the people that bought them thought about what to buy and truly understood what they needed is wonderful. 

We finished up the day by going bowling. I watched him surrounded by people who love him and it gave me hope that he’ll always have friends and family to call on if he needs them. He’s actually ended up having a week of celebrations by the time he’d seen everyone he wanted to see. That’s a whole lot of love! 

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