Terrrible Homesickness

A Memory of Delamere.

I was so homesick. The song "Deep Purple" made me cry because I'd heard it at home.
We had two visitors the first Sunday of the month from 2.0-4.0. We went home for a month at Pesach. I wasn't allowed to go to my brother's wedding if I was to return to the home in the middle of the year.
We had 1/2 p crossed off our account every Saturday and could choose sweets. That wasn't enough for me so I stole from the sweet cupboard and when they locked it I stole the key.
This entailed gliding like a silhouette into the staff quarters. I'm not ashamed because I now know it was my own compensation for the sweetness and love I missed so badly. I would never put a child into a home no matter how well it was run.
When I learned psychology and read Bowlby I was made aware for the first time of the wrong in it all.
Of course it helped some children who needed fresh air more than family love they got at home.
I know the staff were fine people doing what they believed was the best.
I had 4 years there and in spite of it managed to grow up as normal as anyone else!