This is my Blog - Welcome!
It is a great honor for me to share my thoughts with you. Foster parents in South Africa have been isolated long enough. It is time that we take hands and start supporting and encouraging each other.
Let my introduce myself! I am a mother, foster mother and director and founder of Vessels of Mercy for the past 18 years.
My children, ages 18,14,13 and 11 have also made of me a full time mom! Now that my children are not running around in nappies anymore, I have decided to start my full time studies as a social worker in 2021 at the North West University in Potchefstroom.
The race that I am running is a good race. I run my race with my eyes focused on Jesus. He gives me grace to run my race. Every day I need Him more, more than yesterday.
Thank you for reading my blog and I am looking forward to telling you more next time!
With love and hope
Susan
Please stop by again. Thank you for your interest!
2021-01-31
Hugging the hedgehog…
My youngest recently got a hedgehog. What an interesting creature! When you look at the picture it is a very cute little fellow, but when trying to make friends it is quite another story!
Our little one is still a baby and we have had her for about two months now and we have not yet been able to tame her. Every evening at 19:00 we wake her up and help her to get use to our smell, our voices and our touch. My son wants her to get use to him so he would pick her up with a glove. Since his hands are too small it is very difficult for him to carry her around, as she would fall out of his hands (and we only have one glove!). As soon as we make sudden movement the little hedgehog will start huffing and puffing and sticking out her quells. This can hurt quite a bit!
As I was reading another amazing book during this past weekend, I realized that our foster and adoptive children are so much like this cute little thing. From a distance they are cute and cuddly and one wishes that one could pick it up and bond with it. But as soon as one tries to connect, they would stick out their quells and start hissing as if they do not want you to touch their hearts.
Just like with our hedgehog it takes many hours, months even years to bond and connect with our foster children. Even when you are kind and gentle and you think you start bonding with them, they often don’t FEEL safe. Even though the parents and the home where they are IS safe. So now, the question arises: What can I do to make my child FEEL safe, even though I know she is safe?
Coming to think of it, I think I should share some things I have been doing during the past few weeks, to make my children feel safe.
Looking forward to sharing again!
Susan
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