End of an era

Now Steven's turned 18, he has to start leaving children services, and this morning he left he's children respite, he's been going there since he was 9, starting with tea visits, then had sleepovers, he used to have a couple of nights a month, I hated it but Steven loved it, and I knew I had to put my feelings aside and think of what was best for Steven, trying to think of what he would have liked... (spending time with mum or with he's friends, that's a tough one, lol)...

When you think about it, it's just the same as him having a sleepover with he's friends like Sam used to do with her school friends, in fact a lot of Steven's friends stayed there too...
The Beechside staff were lovely and they had to put up with a lot, not only from Steven but from me too.... as when he first went for tea visits, I would never leave him and then I felt Steven would be better off without me, as he was the only child there with their mum, lol...

but even then I hated leaving him, so used to walk round the block peeping through the window to check he was happy, and yes he was, lol... the staff got used to me, as then when I did make it home, used to phone them a few times a stay to check he was OK, and yes he was, lol...

Anyway that has all came to an end today, they gave him a leaving party, made him a banner, baked him a cake and bought him a card and present, the baseball cap, (he wears them if it's sunny as keeps the glare off he's glasses and even in the rain, as again it protect he's glasses from getting wet, as he cannot clean them himself)...



(did wonder if the 'good luck' was for he's mum giving him some space, lol)...

So now we've got to get use to the adult services, starting with the respite, most of he's friends have already moved there, as already 18.....he's starting going to Russets for tea visits, and seems to like it, in fact the last time I took him there, he gave me a kiss on the cheek, held he's key workers hand and pushed me back through the door, so that MUST BE A GOOD SIGN....

just got to work up to the sleepovers now........


so watch this space.....