Parenting in the Summer
Parenting in the Summer School holidays as a foster family
As we move into the last few days of the summer holiday, it strikes me that a lot of parenting is universal...
I often write about trauma and how it can affect my foster children; how they might need extra care and attention and might react differently to traditional parenting techniques. Of course I’m always mindful of how they’re feeling, what brings them joy and what causes them upset, but that’s also what other parents do.
At the risk of contradicting what I’ve written elsewhere, parenting in the summer holiday has, to a large extent, been the same as it is for other parents. I’ve had the privilege of being home with the children because looking after them is my “job” and my main focus and so I’m not juggling work and parenting like other parents do. We’ve had a lot of time to do what we want and that’s been lovely.
We’ve had a really fun time going out and about, visiting local attractions. We’ve been to farm parks and out for walks. We’ve picked blackberries and made apple and blackberry crumble. There are very few local parks we’ve not visited! We’ve connected with friends and had picnics together. We’ve been on a family holiday and whilst it definitely wasn’t restful it was fun!
As we prepare for the return to school I find myself a bit sad that this summer is coming to an end. I also think we are also all looking forward to a bit of routine. The children are excited to see their friends and, if we’re honest, they thrive on a bit more routine than what the summer offers. The uniform is ready and everyone has new shoes.
The house is showing more than small signs of summer chaos. Nothing seems to be in the right place and it’s been cleaner, but there are so many fun things scattered around. There’s the jigsaws half done, and the garden seems to have way too many footballs in it for the number of children! I’m looking at the library challenge thinking we might manage to get through the remaining two levels in a week. Possibly not! There’s Lego on almost every surface and the floor could do with a hoover.
Fostering over the summer isn’t always easy. We have our ups and downs like every family. We also have far more appointments and visits than most. There have been arguments between the children and days when we’ve looked at the calendar wondering how we will fill the rest of the summer, but now I’m trying to squeeze as much fun into the final few days as we can.
Today we’re meeting friends and going for a walk. Rain is promised so I’m not sure how long we will last but like any other parent, I’ll be loading the car up with snacks, coats and wellies!
