There are many people in this world who are working to make it a better place. Robert and Margaret Isdale are two of them. They call Lincolnshire, England, home.
Over the past 45 years, Robert, 81, and Margaret, 80, have fostered over 150 kids. They are not retiring anytime soon. In fact, they are currently caring for an 8-month-old. They opened up to People about their experiences over the years.
Robert isn’t letting a little thing like age slow him down. “It’s something we always wanted to do and we enjoy doing it,” he explained. “You think why not? If you’re fit enough, why not? I would say to anybody, no matter how old you are, if you want to do it, go for it.”
Robert would encourage anyone to foster if they have the heart for it. “People say, ‘I don’t know how I can do it, I don’t how you can give them up,’ but you’ve got to understand what the role is,” he went on to say. “You’re giving the child a safe and loving environment until parents can be found.”
More from LittleThings: Here's How To Handle Caring For A Foster Child Who Isn't The Same Race As You
This isn’t to say that Robert and Margaret haven’t wanted to adopt some of the children they have cared for. “The first baby that we had, who was with us for five or six months, we were very tempted to apply to adopt him, but then his mum wanted him back,” Margaret recalled. The couple have been married for 58 years and have two adult children of their own.
Robert and Margaret did adopt one of the children they cared for in 1987. Kim was born with Down syndrome and a complex heart condition. She lived until she was 21 years old.
“When we got Kim she had a life prognosis of between 6 and 9 months and she had a serious heart condition, but she didn’t let it affect her,” Robert explained.
She even reunited with her birth family before her death. Margaret and Robert still keep in touch with them.
The adoptive parents of another little girl Robert and Margaret fostered asked them to be her godparents. “It was so lovely to be asked,” Margaret stated. “It made me cry. She’s such a lovely little girl and her adoptive parents are lovely as well. We had her for 14 months from when she was 5 days old and she’s nearly 3 now.”
Robert and Margaret are currently looking after an 8-month-old. They have been caring for him since he was 8 days old. “We saw him in the hospital,” Margaret explained. “He’s just lovely.”
They have a good sense of humor about the struggles of caring for newborns. “Sleep? What’s that?” Margaret joked.
“When you get to our age you are up a couple of times in the night anyway, and a stroller makes a good substitute for a walking frame!” Robert added. “And we’re both adept with diapers!"
In May 2024, the couple was awarded a lifetime achievement award by Lincolnshire County Council recognizing their many years of fostering. They have no plans to slow down.
“We were thinking of finishing, we mentioned to social services that we felt perhaps because of our age we ought to, and then somebody said something to us that made us hang on a bit longer,” Robert explained. “They’re very short of fosterer carers and adopters in our area so we never really know how long a child is going to be with us. I think it depends who comes along. The main thing is the safety of the children, but we’re okay at the moment!”
