A day in the life of Evan

Evan, a kinship carer, gives us an insight into what life is like as a carer of two young boys.

How do your mornings usually start?

In a rush.

Tea or Coffee?

Neither, I prefer my caffeine cold so usually Pepsi-Max.

What is the first cereal or spread to run out in your household?

Weet-bix.

What takes up most of your day?

Work – I work full-time.

Do you head to any outside-school activities?

Soccer training for our 9-year-old on Monday afternoons.

What is your least favourite type of homework?

Writing tasks – it can be like pulling teeth to get words onto the paper.

What is your evening routine like?

I usually like to start cooking dinner before 6pm, then our family eats together and then after baths we try to fit in a board game or reading before our 9-year-old goes to bed about 7:30pm.

What’s your favourite thing to do when you have free time?

Read books.

What’s the children’s current favourite show to watch?

YouTube videos of people playing Minecraft – personally I don’t see the attraction.

What’s the most common excuse you hear from the children explaining why they’re out of bed?

“I was just going to the toilet” – despite having gone 10 minutes earlier.

How did you feel when the children in your care arrived to stay with you?

Nervous, worried I wouldn’t be what they needed.

What are the children’s greatest strengths or skills?

Our 9-year-old is very socially confident, he loves being around other children and gets along with everyone. His newborn baby brother has an innate ability to look cute at all times.

What are some of the ways you keep the children connected to family or culture?

We do everything we can to ensure contact visits work well for everyone and we provide photographs of the children regularly.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?

To be able to slow down and speed up time – get through each day’s working hours quicker but gain a few extra hours of family time each day.

How has being a kinship carer impacted your life?

There is no doubt that being a kinship carer and having additional children come to live with us has impacted our lives in nearly every way, but the blessing of having these children in our lives is simply priceless.

If you could have 3 wishes for your children in care, what would they be?

• That they would know they are loved by their parents and my wife and I.
• That they would find joy and love in all their days.
• That they would have hearts of compassion for others in need.

Do you have a special memory about a moment where you could see that you’ve made an impact in a child’s life?

We were told our nine-year-old had an intellectual impairment when he came to stay, but, as shown in his report cards, he has flourished in his new school and there is no suggestion of any impairment at all. I think feeling safe and secure has allowed him to put more focus into his learning.

How would you sum up being a kinship carer in one sentence?

There is no greater honour that you could bestow on me than to entrust me with raising someone else’s child.