Nobody’s Son by Cathy Glass

Author:Cathy Glass [Glass, Cathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2017-02-22T23:00:00+00:00

Jill visited us on Tuesday after school as arranged and Alex was still very quiet. He was with us at the start, but then Jill said he could go and play if he wished and he went up to his room. It’s good practice for a support social worker to see the child at their monthly visit. Once he’d left the room Jill and I discussed how best I could help him and any foster-carer training that might help (ongoing training is part of fostering now), then she read and signed my log notes. Before she left we arranged her next visit for four weeks’ time, although I’d speak to her before then as and when necessary. She called goodbye to the children as I saw her to the door.

The evening continued as most school nights do with dinner, homework, some television, a bedtime story and then a bath and bed. Once in his room Alex took a long while choosing a soft toy and I wondered if he was delaying going to bed. But then he looked at me and asked, ‘Am I too old to have a cuddly now?’

‘No, love, of course not.’

‘James said I was. He laughed at me.’

‘You’re never too old for a cuddly. Adrian has a favourite teddy bear that sits on his bed. I have a fluffy cat on mine that Adrian and Paula gave to me as a Christmas present.’

I think this helped a little, as Alex didn’t hesitate any longer but quickly chose a soft toy and climbed into bed. I didn’t blame James, although he could have been a bit more sensitive, but siblings do make unkind comments and laugh at each other sometimes; it’s part of having a brother or sister. And in the context of a loving and strong sibling bond unkind words and laughter are soon forgotten. But of course that bond had never been established between James and Alex, and Alex was still struggling with everything that had happened and was dwelling on it and taking it personally. All I could do was reassure him and help him move on.

On Wednesday afternoon when I collected Alex from school I reminded him that Debbie was coming to visit us. ‘We’re very popular this week with social workers,’ I quipped lightly. ‘Jill yesterday and Debbie today.’ But he wasn’t amused. Some children have a negative view of their social worker, holding them responsible for taking them away from their family, but all that had happened to Alex a long while ago, and from what I’d seen so far he had a good relationship with her – up until now.

‘Do I have to see her?’ he asked me in the car.

‘Well, yes, you do really. Why? What’s the matter?’

‘I don’t like her any more.’

‘Because of what happened with Rosemary and Edward?’

He gave a small nod.

‘It wasn’t really her fault,’ I said. Although of course to some extent it was. ‘I know she’s very sorry it all went so wrong. She’ll

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