The Wild Child

Casey tells the harrowing story of Connor, an eight year old boy from a broken home who comes to stay with her family.

It’s a Saturday morning when Casey and Mike are asked to take in eight year old Connor – an emergency placement, just for a couple of days, following a violent incident at his now former care home. And Casey’s instinct, as ever, is to say yes. With long term foster son Tyler off to football, and no particular plans for the weekend, even the fact that Connor arrives in what looks like a prison van doesn’t phase her – after all, challenging children are what she and Mike have trained for. And how much trouble can he really be? He’s eight.

A lot, as it turns out.

Connor is as streetwise as they come, and, hurt and angry, seems determined to cause trouble from the off. But despite the attitude, there’s something strangely endearing about their little visitor that makes Casey want to tease out the frightened child behind the swagger. So much so that, with Connor and Tyler getting on so well, she wonders – should they say they’ll keep him longer? It seems like the easiest decision in the world …

About the author

Casey Watson, who writes under a pseudonym, is a specialist foster carer. She and her husband, Mike, look after children who are particularly troubled or damaged by their past.
Before becoming a foster carer Casey was a behaviour manager for her local comprehensive school. It was through working with these ‘difficult’ children – removed from mainstream classes for various reasons – that the idea for her future career was born.
Casey is married with two children and three grandchildren.