From the first moment I saw a picture of our new house I knew exactly which bedroom I wanted. It’s the one with three windows overlooking the porch roof. I always thought it was cool in movies and TV shows when kids could sneak out of their bedroom window, clamber over the roof then climb […]

“What about the other boys, do they make an effort?” “Some of ’em do, some of ’em don’t and some of ’em, like Robert don’t have a choice.” “Is he the one with the bob?” Carol asked. “Yeah… Rob the bob.” Peter replied. “Some of the first years have bunches or plaits and some of ’em […]

Like all kids, Timothy is eagerly anticipating Christmas Day and all the gifts it brings. This year he’s set his heart on adding an InterCity 125 train to his model railway layout, and goes to sleep each and every chilly December night dreaming of unwrapping this: Meanwhile, Timothy’s mother is having second thoughts about Christmas. In the […]

When I was four years old, my mother took me to a ballet class and I really enjoyed it. I stuck with it for years but as I got older, I began getting teased by the kids on the street and at school. By the age of eleven I decided to give it up, in […]

When I was little, I was convinced the house was haunted. Even in bright sunshine it was an imposing structure. We’d visit several times a year for a few days and I always looked forward to leaving. The joists creaked throughout the night and the nearby trees cast skeletal shadows across the moonlit walls. I […]

  Mum grew up in a time when girls were mostly girlie by default. She often talks about how things used to be and how much better things are these days. Women were looked down on if they didn’t dress up by wearing skirts and heels, make-up, etc. Now they’re looked down on when they […]

My brother’s a greaser! His hair is far too long and tatty, he rarely seems to wash and spends every day wearing the same Harley Davidson T shirt, a smelly old leather jacket, tattered jeans and his trusty old pair of baseball boots… and he thinks he looks ‘cool’. He looks like a reject from […]

“Don’t look so worried Peter.” my mother said. “I’m sure he’s done this hundreds of times before.” “Well maybe not hundreds….” the doctor said. “…but you’ve nothing to worry about.” he assured. ‘Nothing to worry about’… that’s easy for them to say. All I recall from last night’s dream was looking at myself in the […]

I thought about the question for a moment before replying. “I really don’t know.” I said. My brother looked me up and down and smiled. “Because it’s fun.” he told me as he jumped off the dresser and twirled around in his pink satin pyjamas, grinning from ear to ear. “Boy’s clothes are just so…” […]

Lawrence has recently been taken out of foster care due to him turning 16 years of age, and has been residing in a residential housing scheme for the last five months. It’s a kind of ‘halfway house’ which helps youngsters make the transition between foster care and living by their own means. The halfway house […]