|
The Silcock Family ..it's all about Inclusion |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
AllOurBoys.com |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our Family Helpers
|
As a large family we have the same needs as a more typically sized family except many times over. Jim and I decided, as our family grew larger, that we didn't want our children's lives to be compromised in anyway simple because they had lots of siblings. We wanted our children to experience all of the social and recreational activities of interest and were available to them. Jim and I wanted to make sure that one child was not denied access to an activity because that activity created a scheduling conflict with another child's activity. We decided that one way to make sure all of our children's needs are met was to have "family helpers" available to us during peak times. Our family helpers come from all walks of life. Some are high school and college students. Others are parents themselves. Some of our helpers would eventually like to work professionally in the field of human services. Others are quite content helping our family for the long haul. We have several helpers who are bilingual speaking English and Spanish, English and American Sign Language and English and Russian. These language skills have helped us significantly when a non-English speaking child joins our family. Currently our family helpers have worked for us between 15 years and five months. Luckily, through word-of-mouth we been able to recruit and hire an outstanding group of people. Our family helpers are used in a variety of ways. During the weekday mornings, as we get the kids off to school, we have several regular helpers who assist the children with dressing, grooming and sometimes even last minute homework. After the boys leave for school, our morning helpers are wonderful about driving forgotten items to school, escorting Justin to dialysis, attending school events, helping us prepare for family parties, and just being available for whatever tasks might be needed. During school hours, we have a few helpers who clean the house and complete the laundry. In the afternoon, when the children arrive home from school, we have several high school age and younger college students who assist with homework. During this time we generally have the opportunity to also work with a volunteer or two from the local high schools. Our family helpers, who are adults, also are available to drive
the boys to their various activities and appointments. In the evenings
we also have helpers who assist with dinner preparation and clean-up as
well as the bedtime routines. While Jim and I are almost always home and
personally connect with each of our children, having family helpers has
allowed each child extra individual attention from a caring adult or
young person.
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
