The Encouragers Life

Trigger warning.  Some of the things discussed my trigger others.  If you have been affected negatively by fostering you may want to go on the the home page and select another article. The names of people have been changed in this piece and reflect the opinions of the writer. Jenny's Story My day started out like any other. The hustle and bustle of getting the older children to school whilst making sure the little one was happy. The running to and fro, trying to find the rebel sock that once sat on the bedside cabinet who was now a wanted fugitive. Then the phone call came.  It was the social services.   “We need to come and talk.   Can we come now?” said the calm, yet serious, voice on the other end of the phone.   I, of course, agreed.   As I hung up the phone to this ominous conversation I thought to myself, what has Olivia done now?   It wasn’t abnormal to get these calls about her.   She was eager to return home to her family and would sometimes lose her cool, due to her f

"You are just really... weird."   This was the sentence that confirmed what I already knew. I was different. I was only seven at the time. Growing up as a, 'misfit,' has its draw backs. You don't get invited to everyone's parties. You don't get picked for a game. People may roll their eyes when they're paired with you during class. And I could go on. Each disadvantage makes a cut. Each moment of rejection, or misunderstanding from another, leaves a mark. But... there is an advantage to being an out-of-the box individual in an in-the-box world. From an early age we are inclined to fit in. "Don't be too loud." "Don't be too quiet." "Don't be in to frogs, be in to dolls." "Don't be in to dolls, be in to frogs." It can cause a lot of confusion and even steer us to being drawn to people pleasing. Or, we are classed by our skin or where we live, to how we labelled in the world. As I see, it society like