Kelli and Trina - Fostering and the Next Generation

I've always liked the story of the child who, on seeing millions of starfish beached on the sand as the tide was going out, started throwing them back into the water. When a parent suggested that the child could not save them all and asked what difference it would make, the child tossed another one in and  replied "Made a difference to THAT one!"

I recently met a couple (young Gen-Xs) who have certainly made a difference to some starfish, and whose story might encourage others.

First thing to note is that Kelli and Trina clearly have a loving and stable relationship, and both have strong family foundations.

After ten years together, and some fun-filled years, this couple started thinking of ways that they could add more substance to their life together and thoughts of children came into focus.

During the ensuing discovery journey, they both recognised the huge need for foster carers, and that it was something they could do something about.

After conversations with close friends and family, they made some enquiries at an agency that handles some of the most challenging cases, and now, about five years later, they have opened their hearts and home to three children. Currently, Kelli and Trina are full time foster carers for a nearly 14-year-old girl, something that they actually love to do!

Kelli works in the emergency services area and has been exposed in her work to children who require protection, and Trina has a background in early childhood education. They don't see their fostering as an alternative to having their own children. "We just love that we are helping a girl to develop into a young woman who will be able to make empowered and positive decisions as an adult," Kelli told me.

Trina asserts that you don’t have to be super to be a foster carer, even if that is the perception. “The children don’t judge you and don’t care, just that their needs are being met.”

And both these remarkable women acknowledge that their fostering experience so far has added a new dimension to their relationship and that they see each other through a different and exciting prism.

More information about fostering in NSW:  Fostering NSW or ACWA

or check out Fostering NSW on facebook

Young Sheps in Sydney

This week, I was re-united with relatives, late Gen X / early Gen Y (thirty somethings) couple and their three children, who stopped in to Sydney for a week as part of a three year mission to travel Australia.

Packed in plenty during a quick Sydney visit, but
back on the bus tomorrow

"It's been my dream since before we were married," Ted told me.

This remarkable couple are about seven months in to their adventure, and stop where work opportunities arise, while soaking up so much of what Australia offers.

Ted has a farming background and a trade (fitter and turner), and as such, offers unbelievable value to anyone who happens gain his services. He's currently working with a farmer somewhere between Young and Cootamundra.

What a joy to spend some time with these guys, as they pursue their great adventure, lovingly lead and teach their children (6, 8 and 9) through life lessons - as well as the online school - and create lifelong memories.

Not Bali, Europe or South America for these Gen Ys, but a journey of a lifetime and discovery around the most desirable travel destination in the world. For this young family though, they've decided to take  the time to smell the grass, dirt, sand, cities and anything else that takes their fancy.

And it's all getting captured and shared via blog by Kylie. It turns out that you can get anywhere from Cummins.


If you see a big red bus, custom fitted out by Ted, and towing a troopy called Hector, it might be the Sheps, so take a moment and say G'day.


Thanks so much for stopping by. Safe travels, great jobs and many happy days to the young Sheps.

Independence Day 2012

Reading MA July 4 2012: As we prepare for watching the parade and fireworks here in Boston, where independence all started for the Americans, you can't help but wonder at the incredible changes that have occurred as a result of the efforts of those who have sought freedom.
Good and bad, what a remarkable history these United States has had so far.
Visiting my brother-in-law and his family in Massachusetts has allowed us to gain a quick peak into the significance of this day to Americans.
And what fun for our own young children to learn a little more about the other culture and history from which they have sprung. Happy birthday America!
US highlights so far: making cookies with grandma; bbq with wonderful friends; trampolines; mowing the grass; Freedom Trail; happy birthday three-year-old.
The US adventure 2012 rolls on.

Being Connected - Our Next US Adventure 2012

I write this from a chilly grey Sydney as we prepare and pack for our next US visit.

Being a family of dual citizens, we feel it's important to maintain the connectedness with our US family and friends by making the trek across the Pacific as regularly as possible.

While it is an expensive undertaking (two adults and two children traveling to and around the US at peak time), thanks to structural changes and competitive forces, international travel has become comparably far less expensive than it was, say a decade or two ago.

What awaits us in the US?
Grandma, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends... warm weather, "american" food, hugs, stories... connectedness.
It's perhaps the greatest motivator of all. Belonging, being connected, loved and understanding where you've come from.
So as we gear up for 18 hours of flying time with a five-and-half-year-old and an almost three-year-old, we will focus our attention on the promised outcome. See above.

The steps we all take to be connected

Oh, and if you see a family that includes young kids on your next long-haul flight, please cut them a break, maybe even smile or offer them a hand. It might be us! And we're all just wanting to be connected, after-all.

I will try to post a blog or two while we are on our travels. In keeping with the theme of this blog, it's about living in a cross generational age.