So the first of March, I woke up and opened my curtains to embrace the first signs of Spring. I then shut them rather sharpish when I’d realised I’d forgotten the builders had started and I was seriously not appropriately attired.
My youngest borrowers are desperate to climb up the scaffolding to talk to the builders so a little talk about how three storeys of scaffolding is a little dangerous will be happening very soon.
A week later excitement has died down and an almost constant chorus of ‘is my room built yet’ starts at 7am. One of my littlies wants an ocean bedroom the other wants a forest, I’m hoping they will chose magnolia so they don’t realise my creative skills are scarce.
Fast forward to the end of March and Ive ordered cast iron radiators that I’m planning to paint/ disguise as part of an ocean and part of a forest.
Interesting discussions have followed the building such as ‘Is this my forever bedroom? ‘ ‘Will you give it to someone else when we are 18?’ ‘If I like my bedroom will I still get to live with dad?’ All highly emotive questions that warrant a well thought out answer. How on earth do you answer such questions without causing more trauma?
We sat down with each of them and explained that yes the bedrooms are for them but it won’t effect what happens with their dad. We drew a picture of two families who love them and are trying hard to work together.
We also tried to dispel the myth that 18 is when you get kicked out. Unfortunately many children in care worry about this but more local authorities are embracing the ‘staying put’ schemes. Hopefully more will follow as most children who have experienced difficult childhoods are not ready to embrace adulthood at 18.
I’m hoping all my children (borrowed and birth) will be staying put to their 40’s so I don’t get empty nest syndrome !
My husband ended the conversation with ‘I lived with my mum until I was 30’ which middle borrower replied to with ‘ yay I can play Lego in my room for ages then’
And so to April, will the bedrooms be finished? I’m not holding my breath.
