What Goes Around

Our family's therapist suggested (strongly) that I get a "prickly mean" babysitter for Princess once a week for the summer, and take the other kids on a fun outing, or I am risking them hating her for the rest of her life.

Which I totally believe.

So, two sisters came to mind who are in their 20s, have good senses of humor, and grew up with foster and adopted children in their family. But they're 20, so they're not going to be free. I figure $20 for two hours to sit and read, or surf the internet, or knit, or anything just as long as it is not entertaining Princess was fairly reasonable. So then comes the question of how to obtain $240.

I could give up yarn.
I could stop buying hanging baskets.
I could quit feeding the kids. That would provide $100 a week, easy.

None of them sound very appealing. But nether does three children hating one child for life. So, you know.

Then I got a phone call. It was the foster parent I provided respite for last summer.

Last summer I watcher her two medically-fragile prematurely-born foster infant twins for 4-6 hours once a week. While packing for a move. And dealing with Princess's near-constant packingforamove rages. It wasn't fun, but when the girls were placed with me, someone I had never even met came for four hours once a week so I could get two my own appointments. Or Princess's appointments. Or breathe. It completely saved any sanity I had left. And she stuck with me for three years. Now we knit together.

It's important to me to pay that forward.

I didn't ask for, expect, or want money, but when she asked if I'd take payment if DHS would pay for it, I said, sure- why not?

That was a year ago, and I stopped providing respite last September.

So this week, she calls me. And she said,

"DHS paid me for you. Not all of it. I don't think I'll ever be able to get you all of it. But I got some, and I left it at Josh's work for him to give to you.

It's $250."



I am well cared for.