Where Has AbleSim Been?
After publishing weekly blogs and Info-Letters regularly every week until July 2018, AbleSim has been quiet for over 12 months. Well, I’ve been busy elsewhere, with my partner, working on “The Ultimate Project”. My personal “Resources” were stretched, and I was doing some “Risk management”.
Unplanned Workload
My partner and I were approved as “Foster Carers” in January 2017. I managed to maintain my business activity whilst we fostered a little boy. The lad moved on in April 2018, and in June 2018 a young girl foster child came into our care. She was then joined by her younger sister later in June 2018, and in July 2018 the first young boy returned to our care. So from 1 foster child, we suddenly had three, and something had to give with the workload!
Priority was for the care and development of the children. I made the decision to lighten my workload by pausing the AbleSim blogs and “Walking the Critical Path” Info-Letters.
As of August 2019 the two girls have moved on. We are now able to cope easily with the young boy as he prepares to start school, and I can reactive my business activity!
The Ultimate Project?
So now, after over 13 months of childcare, we can reflect on (and review) activities involved with the care and development of young children. I mean, isn’t raising a child to become a worthwhile member of society “The Ultimate Project”? If not, then what is?
Foster children come with some obvious but many hidden problems. They need more care and attention than birth children, and need far more support in their education and social development. Objectives to provide structure and security into their lives are clear (but not so easy to achieve). Measuring and improving their educational needs is relatively easy, as is improving their diet, exercise, and general health.
What is far more difficult is to see, understand, and improve on the emotional and social issues that these children typically have.
However, after 13 months of solid work (and many tears) the girls have moved on, and we consider their leaving a success, and this part of “The Ultimate Project” is completed.
Seeing these children start to overcome their problems, catch up with their development, and mature into clever individuals has been extremely rewarding for us both. The girls may have not overcome all of their issues, but hopefully we gave them the stability, security, and foundation to move on with their lives.
So What is Next for AbleSim?
Apart from the regular dissertation supervision, teaching, training, and MS Project support I plan to market my products more. I will be returning to the long list of intended blogs abandoned last July. I will also review and slightly change the “Walking the Critical Path” Info-Letter, with a new issue in September 2019.
Projects come and go, but raising children has to be “The Ultimate Project”.
