Getting comfortable with social workers

buggerfly12

The first time I had a SW over for our home visit with DIA, I spent weeks cleaning things I'd never looked at before. I scrubbed baseboards, I made beds... Things that never happen in my house. How far we have come since starting foster care! Last night the SW who is doing our DCS homestudy came by, about the 6th SW visit we've had since FD came to our house. I did the dishes and picked up the Easter toys strewn about the living room. When she came to the door I realized DH and I both had on pajamas; I hadn't even gotten dressed all day and he came home from work and dressed down. I actually asked her to do a walk-through so she wouldn't have to come back, having no idea what some rooms looked like. She went through the whole house and saw our piles of (clean) laundry in the laundry room, the toys around the floor downstairs, and bedrooms with blankets and stuff thrown around. It wasn't disgusting or anything, but man our attitudes have changed in the last few months. We aren't so afraid now that everything has to be "perfect." We just let them see what our house is really like. It's pretty nice being relaxed, especially when after seeing all that I get a SW telling me that I'm a good mom and she's convinced we'll do well. Yay!

CaptainSerious

I completely understand.  We had J's first postplacement visit last night.  Even though I'm not working, I left the boys with the nanny for a few hours in the afternoon, and came home less than an hour before our appointment.  I did take out the trash so she wouldn't see that I fed the boys happy meals for lunch (which is a rare occurrence, but I was rushing out to see Hunger Games!) and changed the tablecloth since she'd be with us during dinnertime, but that's about it.

buggerfly12

6 months ago I couldn't imagine being that comfortable with a stranger coming over to check out the house. We had also just finished an abnormally unhealthy meal

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mamatojts

Asa few of our workers said - if the house was completely spotless every time she came over, she'd wonder if the kids were getting attention amidst all the cleaning. They didn't mind the "lived in" look!