My Life Journey Part 2 by Scarlet Jay*

This is part 2 of Scarlet Jay's* story, you can find the other parts at the bottom of the blog.

Welcome back. A lot has happened since my last post. But as you all liked my first post, here's the second.

Previously in this section of the blog I spoke about how hard it is to be a foster child. And I still stand by that. Every foster home is different, and I will admit not all of them are the best. The road I was taken onto must have been one lucky road because I was placed with a lovely foster carer in a lovely community. But sometimes us foster kids don’t get that lucky. But sometimes we do get lucky. My foster carer loves me and my siblings like we were her own and I think this is very important for foster children being placed in homes where the foster carer treats them and cares for them like their own. Do you think you could be one?

My story (part 2).

Shock. Maybe even anger. All these emotions just suddenly drown me like a big tidal wave. Not seeing our mother again was the last thing me and my siblings were told before being put to bed because we had a long journey ahead of us.

I can remember laying there, staring up at the damp, cottage roof as I try to process the news. “Why now!? Why tell me this now?!” I can remember asking myself. I was feeling so happy too, I thought maybe once, just once in my life something could go right. But no. And this doesn’t just affect me, it affects my siblings too.

The next morning was quiet but busy, everyone packed ready to go.

Waving goodbye to the wedding venue. No-one speaks. It’s silent. The only sound that could be heard is the rain dancing on the car windows and the screeching of the wind-screen wipers. Given the news we were given the previous day, none of the other family seemed sad or even sympathetic.

I tried to interact with my siblings but they didn’t budge, not a single smile or giggle. It was like they were paralyzed. Tears fall silently down their face. Seeing them like this hurt me, it also brought so much anger I had to bite my lower lip to prevent myself from screaming at the adults. This wasn’t fair, nothing ever was!

After a long silent car journey, we arrived at our temporary placement, it was our aunties house. We walked inside and our bags were already at the foot of the stairs. My siblings ran to my aunt and uncle and hugged them tight, me, I stood there staring at them. I knew if I moved, or even spoke, something terrible would be said and done and I wasn’t prepared to leave my siblings on their own, i’d rather fight this battle with them than be taken away due to a silly little argument. It wasn’t worth it, so I just kept quiet, like the good girl I was.

As the days went by, my anger built. Watching my siblings laugh and smile with people who weren’t even proper family. The same people who told us lies, made us all believe we were safe, but were we? All my life I had been feeding and washing my siblings, is that all going to change..

Could you welcome a young person like Scarlet Jay* into your home? 

Speak to us about fostering

* Name changed to protect the identity of the young person.