‘I still feel full when I think about it’
Image: Getty Images
Sometimes the most beautiful Mother’s Day gifts are the things you totally didn’t see coming and then try not to get filled up with all that beauty.
Saskia (48), mother of Benjamin (17) and Stijn (15), foster mother of Rosie (11):
“My best Mother’s Day gift didn’t come from my own children, but from my foster daughter Rosie. My husband Alex and I have been doing foster care for several years. That varied from six weeks to a year, preferably no longer, because then a child would become too attached to us. However, Rosie has been with us for three years.
Straight from the heart
There turned out to be no suitable address for her for a long time and in the end we all wanted her to stay permanently, including her parents. But we weren’t that happy. Rosie didn’t want anything to do with us at first and found me especially disgusting. Fire spewed out of her eyes when I spoke and she only listened to Alex. I didn’t care. I see a damaged, injured child, not a mad girl calling me names.
“In the beginning she wanted nothing to do with us and especially thought I was horrific”
Only after a lot of angelic patience and love did she relax and become softer. The biggest reward after nine months is a kitschy red paper heart with three bonbons in it on Mother’s Day. Because I was ‘some kind of mama,’ she said timidly. I still fill up when I think about it and cherish it for the rest of my life.”
Read also – Foster parent Henrike: ‘I dread the moment she starts asking about her past’ >
Nice gift
Marjolein (27), mother of Jazz (11 months):
My best Mother’s Day gift? That was the arrival of the child that made me a mother in one fell swoop. Jazz was due on King’s Day, but apparently he liked it so much that he stayed a little longer. Eventually a hospital appointment was scheduled for Monday, but on the night of Saturday 7 to Sunday 8 May my waters broke and six hours later our son arrived. On Mother’s Day. Just a nice home and a wonderful gift of over eight pounds.”
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