WEEKENDS WITH SAM
"Mips, mips" yes, its that time of the month again. A very eager Sam walks in with his Mum.
The first thing he asks for is "mips".
We all know what that means. Sam wants fish and chips for tea, as he does every time he visits us. We have learned over the years, through sign language, mumbled words and gestures exactly how to interpret his wishes. Some times it doesn't work and we say "Show me Sam" and he happily obliges.
But how did this come about? Six years ago we noticed an ad on the back of a supermarket docket. It said "Give a kid a Break". We decided to act on it, rang Interchange and were invited to attend an information session about hosting a child with a disability.
We discussed it as a family and our two children, David and Fiona, were enthusiastic. We felt it was one way to put something back into the community.
Well, Sam is now very much part of our family. He has his own room and he participates in all family activities. If we are invited to a party during Sam's weekend with us, he is invited too. If we are going out so is Sam. Sam now has a new Oma, Opa, Nanna and Pop. He knows them by name and they spoil him like the other grandchildren.
As a family we really enjoy having Sam. It is great having another little boy in the family. Our children have lots of fun with him, playing soccer on the decking, going to McDonalds for ice cream and going shopping with Sam sitting in the trolley between the groceries.
We have had a few moments of panic, like the day he took himself off to visit the neighbour (his favourite thing at the time was knocking on doors!) Or the day we went looking for caravans and Sam found his own and didn't want to come out.
Another day, at a fair, Sam somehow managed to convince a stallholder that he was starving. Although he had no money he managed to score a huge plateful of food. He is a great communicator with a big smile and a very insistent nature.
Sam has enriched our lives. We all look forward to his monthly visits, even Jack our dog ! We know we are giving his family a well deserved break once a month. We encourage other families to become involved as a host family with Interchange.
John & Ria P. - Interchange hosts.
Find out how you can become a host and have your own ‘Weekends with Sam’ story.