It was sunny and about 70 degrees here in Michigan today, which was a welcomed change from the intermittent spring snow and rain we’ve been having. What could possibly make such a day even more glorious? Our Foster Adoptive Family Resource and Support Center offered a free respite Saturday from 9AM until 4PM, for children between newborn and 12 years old who were part of an adoptive family or part of a foster family. The Center had games, activities, and meals planned for the children and they had a great time. All parents had to do, to take advantage of the free day of care, was to register their children in advance and drop them off at 9AM. Funding for the day was provided by some small grants to the agency.

Luckily for me, the County Sheriff department was also offering a free boating safety class today, from 9AM until 4PM. I registered all of my teenagers for the class. That’s right, from 9AM until 4PM today, I had the day to myself and I enjoyed it. I rode my horse for the first time in five months.

Usually, we are the family that provides respite care for children from other families. There have been many one-timers and there have been several children for whom we have provided monthly respite care for several years. We’ve been able to watch those children grow and mature and at times they’ve seemed like part of our family. The last time we used respite care was eight years ago when our teenage daughter thought there would be a better family out there to adopt her, other than us.

I did suffer from some minor twinges of guilt throughout the day, but it was really refreshing to have a day to myself. I find myself getting so caught up in dealing with the negative behaviors of my special needs children that sometimes I can’t find the positives. Therefore, I really did need to take a break from the daily grind to remember why I’m doing this and to try to start fresh tomorrow. I don't think I'll be waiting another eight years to use respite care again.

Related Topics:
Respite care- What is it?
Read more about foster care adoptions.
Read more about foster care.

Photo Credit Lane Fuller 2004