All of us are adjusted to warm homes and lots of space, or more or less at least, with our nice beds to sleep in, many rooms for all kids, parents in their bedroom, and so on. This all sounds lovely, but not every family has the chance for such a life and luxury. Some families even share one sleeping space. Many of the kids are sharing a bed and it is very tight! Such living conditions are not normal, and every kid should have a separate bed to sleep in.
Today we talk about the Forrest family, with the members Darren and Cherry and their 3 kids. Wait, this number does not end here. When they got married, first the couple lived in a counseling center with the 3 kids, but, after 10 years, they got 7 new members, so a total of 10 kids. The problem is exactly here, no space for all kids separately. The measures had to be drastic and the couple needed to make another space for all kids and the whole family. So, another issue was that one of the kids had autism too and had to sleep in a closet! No other options were there for the family, no money either. The whole family was listed on a waiting list for a larger home, for a few years too! So, they thought of something else.
The problem was mostly the autistic son the family had. The autism needs are different than normal kids’ needs, and this kid needed a special personal and separate space because he did not want anyone touching him or his things. For such a small space, this was not an option for the family. So, they had to keep the poor kid in a closet space that was made like a bedroom.
Still, there is more to the problems. The oldest daughter has epilepsy and also needs a separate space, but no way to afford this. As the couple said, the daughter can get an attack at night, so there is an ambulance coming, and other kids sleep in another room together, so this event will wake up everyone too. Sleeping is a problem, yes, but the root of evil is the overall small premises space in general. Everyone lives on top of another person, in a way.
Another issue is the mold! More problems for this family! The house was old and worn out, too damaged, and mold smell was everywhere in every corner and space. Also, the bathroom had a water leak problem too, and the roof of it collapsed due to it. Hygiene issues arose more and more so the school started to notice, and the council concluded this is no good way of living for kids.
We all hope this family starts to lead a normal and more pleasant life.
