On Mother's Day (a rushed post before I go out with my son)

Once again the blog has sunk into a bit of doom and gloom, unfortunately I seem to see the sorrow sometimes much more easily than the joy.

Thanks to everyone who left kind comments on my post from a few days ago. It is quite amazing to me, the difference in perspective, when I became curious about how things would look if I felt worthy.

Anyway. Mother's Day.

Unfortunately I'm not spending today with my "second Mum", however I am spending it with my son who is due to arrive any second. On the way back from the gym, (yes the gym), I noticed a few small boys coming out of the local Sunday School with daffodils, home made cards and plastic bags filled with sponge cake. So sweet. Sadly one of them had dropped his cake and was desperately trying to get it back into the bag. I wanted to stop the car and help him.

Mother's Day has been on my mind all week since I watched a TV documentary on the BBC about Neil Morrissey the actor. He was taken into care when he was 10 but had never really explored his childhood and the reasons for him and his brother being removed from his family. There was just so much of importance in it, so go watch it on i-player. I think many people who wouldn't normally watch and think about the issue of being "In Care", would actually watch this because it was him. Also it was shown at peak time and on one of the main channels.

 At a time when many services for children are being cut, it highlighted just how bleak life is without a loving caring family and how important good care is.Yes it takes money, but these are our children's lives. These children have already been badly let down, so we owe it to them to get it as right as possible. Having a mentor, one understanding adult who is something of a constant, is also crucial for children. Neil had a great drama teacher at school who was that person for him. In the documentary Neil goes back to the school to help out with a competition and there are tears from both men, as he thanks his teacher publicly for the first time. There is still a big gap between Educational outcomes  for children in care and all other children.

Neil Morrisey was rightly angry, when he met a young woman who had just left care and found that little had changed in the time since he left his care home. What amazed me about Neil's story was that at that time he was forced to leave the care home at 16, meaning his plans to study for his A levels and go on to do drama were at risk. The most amazing thing was that a friend of his asked his own family whether they would foster Neil for a year while he completed his studies. They did. What a fabulous family! 

Anyway, it made me think about Mother's Day and how for many children and adults who grow up without a Mum, indeed without anyone to care for them who isn't paid, Mother's day simply hurts.

I wanted to remember all those children today. I am so often rendered speechless by their courage. It always astounds me just how human beings survive the awful things that can happen and the wonderful courage and determination they often have.

I also wanted to celebrate all of the fabulous Foster Mums there are, and also all of the dedicated people who work in children's homes. There are so many caring people out there.

Happy Mother's day.