A Day in a Life of a Foster Parent
Malky
Early in the morning the phone rings, the morning of the busiest day of my high school life so far. The day of my band concert and the first day of my softball tryouts. As if there weren't enough butterflies living in my stomach. When my mom woke me up she told me that we would be getting a 3 month old baby. Soo little! i think to myself while wondering if I can even manage to care for someone that small that...helpless.
I get dropped off after the first 1/2 of tryouts for the day, My Mom, and sister are in the basement cooing over the new little friend. I quietly make my way down the stairs and watch from a distance for a while, slowly making my way towards them. He is so small...so helpless i think when I finally get a good look at him Soo beautiful, but I can't do this! I retreat upstairs with the excuse of a shower.
About 1/2 an hour later my Mom comes up "I need Grace to get ready so I can take her to her concert so You need to take the baby" I will not let her know that I am afraid... "What's wrong anyway? I thought you'd be all over him"
"Nothing, I'm just tired" I quickly reply and not so quickly head down stairs. My sister passes off the sleepy baby into my arms. I take a deep breath and hold him tightly, awkwardly. The minutes pass and I start to get comfortable with him, he falls asleep in my arms and i sink into the couch. I can do this! I begin to think, but my confidence comes to soon. Almost as soon as I think that he wakes up in a coughing fit. Being the spazzy me that I am I immediately shriek for my Mom, who comes racing down the stairs from the kitchen.
"what?!" She panically answers. Hearing the child struggling to breath in my arms she grabs him and calmy sits him up and rubs his back until his breathing returns to normal. "He just has a little cold"
"uh-HI" I reply shakily, having the baby returned to me.
"I'm taking Grace" How can she just leave me in an empty house with him?! Apparently my Mom had more confidence in me then I did, and apparently rightfully so. By the time she returned Little Malky was asleep on my chest, fed changed, and everyone remained calm through it all. He wakes up in another coughing fit and i calmly sit up and pat his back.
Malky taught me to follow my instinct. He gave me confidence that was SO essential to this whole thing. He taught me that I do know what I am doing, and when I don't I just gotta give it my best shot and figure it out. Malky will always have a special place in my heart because he had a special place in my life. All the luck to you baby!
I get dropped off after the first 1/2 of tryouts for the day, My Mom, and sister are in the basement cooing over the new little friend. I quietly make my way down the stairs and watch from a distance for a while, slowly making my way towards them. He is so small...so helpless i think when I finally get a good look at him Soo beautiful, but I can't do this! I retreat upstairs with the excuse of a shower.
About 1/2 an hour later my Mom comes up "I need Grace to get ready so I can take her to her concert so You need to take the baby" I will not let her know that I am afraid... "What's wrong anyway? I thought you'd be all over him"
"Nothing, I'm just tired" I quickly reply and not so quickly head down stairs. My sister passes off the sleepy baby into my arms. I take a deep breath and hold him tightly, awkwardly. The minutes pass and I start to get comfortable with him, he falls asleep in my arms and i sink into the couch. I can do this! I begin to think, but my confidence comes to soon. Almost as soon as I think that he wakes up in a coughing fit. Being the spazzy me that I am I immediately shriek for my Mom, who comes racing down the stairs from the kitchen.
"what?!" She panically answers. Hearing the child struggling to breath in my arms she grabs him and calmy sits him up and rubs his back until his breathing returns to normal. "He just has a little cold"
"uh-HI" I reply shakily, having the baby returned to me.
"I'm taking Grace" How can she just leave me in an empty house with him?! Apparently my Mom had more confidence in me then I did, and apparently rightfully so. By the time she returned Little Malky was asleep on my chest, fed changed, and everyone remained calm through it all. He wakes up in another coughing fit and i calmly sit up and pat his back.
Malky taught me to follow my instinct. He gave me confidence that was SO essential to this whole thing. He taught me that I do know what I am doing, and when I don't I just gotta give it my best shot and figure it out. Malky will always have a special place in my heart because he had a special place in my life. All the luck to you baby!