Offer a child a home over Christmas!

looktothefuture

As a child growing up in South Africa, my grandfather would offer an orphaned child a home for Christmas... normally from the 23rd December through to the New Years Eve! I know with the times of child safety etc that they probably don't do that anymore but I'd really like to offer a home to a child who doesn't have a family over christmas.

Does anyone know of any charities do something like this?

Alikay

Well I'm a foster carer and it took a year of rigorous vetting and checking for us to be able to look after other people's children, so I doubt any organisation would taking on people to do that just for Christmas! Also, it's very sad, but children in need of good homes don't just need one for Christmas.....

An organisation that offers holidays in the UK to needy children, such as this one might be the sort of thing you'd be interested in, though

http://www.chernobyl-children.org.uk/

looktothefuture

Alikay, I am seriously considering becoming a foster carer so this was my first step (I think) in making that decision.

The older I get, the more I remember about the children's home that my grandfather volunteered at and the more incentive it gives me to try and help!

Thank you for that link, I will certainly look into it!

SonjaLiK

IMHO it's a nice idea from your perspective, but can be utterly cruel to the child.
There is a very appropriate curse in Croatian that translates into something like - May God let you have and then not have.

There's nothing worse that getting a taste of something you don't and probably never will have.

Savvy_Sue

another possibility to look into is offering respite care to children with disabilities. not likely to be wanted at Christmas but a real lifeline. as with fostering, will take a (long) while to work through the process.

looktothefuture

Fair enough SonjaLiK! I thank you for your very valid and thought provoking post! I'd not thought of it that way! All I wanted to do was help!

looktothefuture

Savvy_Sue,

I am currently at the start of a very long approvals process for respite care for sibilings of children with a disability.

thanks for your input!

SonjaLiK

looktothefuture wrote: »

Fair enough SonjaLiK! I thank you for your very valid and thought provoking post! I'd not thought of it that way! All I wanted to do was help!

I know.
That's why I said it's a very nice idea but unfortunately, the better the time they have with you, the worse it will be to go back.
If you can/want to become a foster parent or adopt a child, that's brilliant. Good luck.

Kaelea

looktothefuture wrote: »

As a child growing up in South Africa, my grandfather would offer an orphaned child a home for Christmas... normally from the 23rd December through to the New Years Eve! I know with the times of child safety etc that they probably don't do that anymore but I'd really like to offer a home to a child who doesn't have a family over christmas.

Does anyone know of any charities do something like this?

As someone who spent 17 years being dragged up in a childrens home, one Xmas all the other kids had gone home to their parents so it was just me, I walked down to the canteen to be greeted by a cheese sandwich for my xmas dinner!

I wish their were more people like you, and it was actually allowed for you to have such kids .. like me .. maybe then I wouldn't of grown up absolutely detesting Christmas

you have a good heart ..

looktothefuture

Kaelea wrote: »

As someone who spent 17 years being dragged up in a childrens home, one Xmas all the other kids had gone home to their parents so it was just me, I walked down to the canteen to be greeted by a cheese sandwich for my xmas dinner!

I wish their were more people like you, and it was actually allowed for you to have such kids .. like me .. maybe then I wouldn't of grown up absolutely detesting Christmas

you have a good heart ..

Kaelea, I'm sorry that you were the one left behind... and thank you for commenting... It made me realise it's the children like you were once that I want to be there for when no one else is!

I wish it were allowed... just to see a small child smile because for once they are the centre of attention (good attention) and feel as though they are worth the effort (which isn't easy because any kids are well worth the effort!)

take care hun! xxx

tinkerbellsmum_2

I'd love to be able to do this but I wouldn't able to send them back.
i'd love to foster/adopt but my youngest is to young at the moment and i have one of each and 3 bed house so no spare room but i'd love to when i'm older is there a upper age limit to foster?