Picasso's going home.

Well....we were supposed to be having a little boy come to stay with us starting Wednesday. He was coming as a respite placement* for ten days. We've done respite for him before - and he is quite a challenge - but he is also so sweet. He is four years old and is not verbal, not potty trained, is a little on the physical side, and is extremely picky about food (which proves to be difficult because of his lack of verbal skills - which is none.). Last time he was at our home he finger-painted our carpet with yellow paint - which was entirely my fault, but due to his artistry, we'll just call him Picasso.
Picasso had a court hearing yesterday and they sent him back home with his parents. This is a good thing. (This becomes the mantra you whisper to yourself as a foster parent - to remind yourself that going home is good, even if not ideal.) If you could just keep him in your prayers though, I'd love you for it. His situation was pretty severe when he came into state custody, and in severe cases it always makes you a little nervous about their homecoming (or homegoing?). There's just so much risk. Which is different than danger (more on that in another post) but is still a little tie-your-stomach-in-knots nerve wracking.

So, if you could keep little Picasso in your prayers, that would be great. I'll whisper a little prayer for him every time I walk across our yellow carpet.



*For any of you not versed in the lingo of Social Services - a respite placement is a temporary placement where you take care of a foster child who actually lives long-term in another foster home. It's kind of like extended babysitting for another foster family. In this case - they were going on a vacation that, due to his developmental delays, he couldn't participate in. So, we would have watched him for the ten days as a respite placement. Does that make sense?