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I've always wanted to become a Big Sister with the organization and finially signed up for it. I haven't met with anyone from there yet but I was wondering if anyone on here has been involved and their experience.
I've always wanted to become a Big Sister with the organization and finially signed up for it. I haven't met with anyone from there yet but I was wondering if anyone on here has been involved and their experience.
I have done it twice for about two years each. One experience was great and we still keep in touch. One was terrible and I had to cut off contact because of the parent. It is worth doing you just have to be careful to follow the rules and try not to get too involved. I know that is hard but it is a great experience if you get hooked up with a good family and can keep the appropriate boundaries.
Good luck!!
I was involved with it several years back.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a good experience. The girl they put me with, was a spoiled brat that whined and cried when she was with me unless I bought her something.
I tried to straighten out the situation myself and it was getting to the point that I no longer wanted to be with her.
I told the social worker and she had a talk with her but then things got even worse and the grandparents wanted me to think about adopting her. The parents (that had abandoned her and her brothers) were against that and told me that if I ever did such a thing, (in case they ever wanted her back) they would make my life miserable.
Too much drama for me. I also broke the rules by talking about adoption. Oh well. Good for me.
It's a good organization but make sure the child is ready for something like this because these social workers don't always know what's best.
I was a Big Sister to a 8 year old girl, and it was an amzing experience. What was odd, is that not only was her personality a lot like mine when I was that age (quiet, reserved), but she actually looked like me a bit (long hair, glasses, tall for her age), even my mother remarked about the similarities. She was shy and an only child, so it took a while to get her out of her shell, but once she opened up, I could see what a remarkable, smart young girl she was. We worked together on her homework, took part in a lot of activities together, we even went to the circus and roller skating, and though this was more about her enjoying herself, I had so much fun hanging out with her too. I would do BB/BS again in a heartbeat.
My son has had a Big Brother for over five years and he has become like family. We moved away four years ago and they have continued their relationship. My son calls him with good news or when he get upset with me and needs to talk to the "good cop".
His Big has given him self-confidence and they have a lot of fun together, spending a week each summer and several weekends throughout the year together.
I've served as a mentor to a couple of at-risk teens, one who is now 32 and in occasional contact, another, a young man that I met at 15 is now 18 and has gotten his first apartment. I'm taking him for a job interview tomorrow.
So many kids are starving for attention and time from adults. I hope you'll let us know how your placement goes. It can be a life-changing experience for you both.
I also served on the board of a BB/BS and do want to stress that you should feel good about the match or else ask to wait for another. Just because someone is a social worker doesn't mean that they aren't motivated by numbers. Our agency was pushing through matches and looked very good on paper, but I learned that they hid many deficiencies.
I was involved with Big Brothers & Big Sisters, when I was a kid in upstate N.Y. ( around 1983 - 1987 ).
I was in the 3rd grade, when I was matched up with a Big Brother that worked for the Local Chamber of Commerce. He was a great guy. He took me to the Baseball Hall of Fame, bowling, to a ski-resort, picnics, etc. Sometimes we would go someplace with his wife. They didn't have any kids at the time, but I think he was in his very late 30's or early 40's.
He took me to see STAR WARS-Return of the Jedi, when I was in the 3rd grade. During the middle of the movie, I had to go to the bathroom....but didn't want to bother him. I couldn't hold it any longer...and peed my pants. Then when the movie ended, I had some explaining to do. It was really embarrasing. I bet he's still telling people stories "about the time" he volunteered for B.B. & B.S.'s and got matched up with some kid that wasn't even potty-trained.
I think our relationship lasted for about 1.5 years. He got a job promotion or new assignment and moved to another city in N.Y. I was a little sad about it. They did have a daughter about a year later. This might have been a "pleasant surprise" because they might have thought it was too late (they were already older folks). A few years later, they adopted a child from Asia.
My regular father, never did much of anything with me. Granted I was adopted....but still, he never took me to a Little League Game or tossed the ball in the yard with me. He was having some health problems and passed away a couple years later.
Now looking back on the whole thing, I wonder what was going thru my father's mind, every time my Big Brother picked me up. If I had a kid and some other GUY was taking my kid here-n-there....I would feel a little guilty; maybe think he's doing my job.
When I was about 13, I got matched up again with another Big Brother. He was a single guy in his mid late 30's. This was around the summer of 1987. When he pulls in to our driveway for the first time, he was driving a brand new IROC Z-28 (blue). Very...very nice car. The neighbor even came over to look at the car and put his arm on the top of the door and my Big, made a comment as we drove away....about the guy leaving his prints on his car.
When we got to his place, I noticed he had pin-ups all over his apartment of half-naked chicks. Samantha Fox...etc. I thought he was pretty cool. He had a couple boats, an 86 Monte Carlo and a few other cars. One sounded like an air-plane. The guy also had a couple girlfriends. Sometimes they would go with us.
We did a few things. Went to a Monster Truck show at Glenns Falls, N.Y. He was in to a lot of things I wasn't very interested in. He'd pick me up, to go to his place and WAX his boat. He liked to go to arcades and slot-car tracks (boring). He would go to his mothers sometimes to clean the pool and let me swim.
He was a good guy, with good intentions, but we just didn't click very much. I thought he was getting a little old to be living the Play-boy life. I think he had a solid job with the regional telephone company.
They were both good people. I still am fond of my first BIG. I was just a kid, but I was able to pick-up on the fact that he and his wife were people that had a good education and wanted to be involved with things in the local community.
I have thought about "giving back" to the program a few times over the years. I did attend an informational meeting when I was about 20 years old. I was already working about 35 hrs a week and going to college full time. We did have a meeting, but maybe they thought I should come back in a couple years, after I graduate. I still think about it once in a while, but wonder about "certain issues" like communicating with the mother and father (if he's around).
I've never been involved with the organization...but have been a big bro to a couple youngsters. One who is now 8 yo. He's my adventure buddy. He loves going out to the lake and climbing the cliffs, boating, hiking, cooking out over a camp fire etc. I have taught him how to start and operate the boat incase anything ever happened to me out in the wilderness. He can start a campfire with birchbark and pine branches. He does overnighters at my house and loves my cooking, and we always hit the Chinese Restraunt together. He loves Chinese food. He is just the coolest little man. My own 2 boys pretty much burned out on the wilderness stuff when they reached their teens...but my little buddy loves it. The look on his face when he saw his first brown bear was and still is priceless.
That last picture (with the boat) is AMAZING.. Everything looks so peaceful.
Actually we are cruising along at about 25 mph in that photo. It was cloudy but dead calm.
Quote:
Rance, are you taking reservations for Camp Ranceo? My 14 YO is planning his summer.
Well...this next summer we'll be out at the lake quite a bit. I have a log cabin to build on the island. So he is more than welcome to come up and help, or wander around the island, or putt around in the boat, or catch us a rainbow trout for dinner.
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