Mummy Told Me Not to Tell: The true story of a troubled boy with a dark secret. Cathy Glass
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Certain details in this story, including names, places and dates, have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.
HarperElement
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published by HarperElement 2010
Copyright © Cathy Glass 2007
Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2015 Cover images © IndexStock/SuperStock (child, posed by model); Shutterstock.com (background)
A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
Cathy Glass asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Source ISBN: 9780007362967
Ebook Edition © September 2008 ISBN: 9780007362974
Version 2016-08-17
Damaged
Hidden
Cut
The Saddest Girl in the World
Happy Kids
The Girl in the Mirror
I Miss Mummy
Mummy Told Me Not to Tell
My Dad’s a Policeman (a Quick Reads novel)
Run, Mummy, Run
The Night the Angels Came
Happy Adults
A Baby’s Cry
Happy Mealtimes for Kids
Another Forgotten Child
Please Don’t Take My Baby
Will You Love Me?
About Writing and How to Publish
Daddy’s Little Princess
The Child Bride
Saving Danny
Girl Alone
The Silent Cry
Contents
Copyright
Also by Cathy Glass
Prologue
Chapter One: Respite
Chapter Two: A New Record
Chapter Three: Sharky
Chapter Four: Toilet Training
Chapter Five: Safer Caring
Chapter Six: Kids in Care
Chapter Seven: Chaos
Chapter Eight: ‘School’
Chapter Nine: Starting to Get Annoyed
Chapter Ten: Summoned to the Head
Chapter Eleven: An Uncertain Start
Chapter Twelve: The Wider Family Picture
Chapter Thirteen: A ‘Done Bad’ Day
Chapter Fourteen: Seaside Escape
Chapter Fifteen: Set Apart
Chapter Sixteen: Heated Debate
Chapter Seventeen: A Dark Cloud
Chapter Eighteen: Cycle of Abuse
Chapter Nineteen: Normal Family
Chapter Twenty: Forever Family
Chapter Twenty-One: It’s Sad to Say Goodbye
Epilogue
Suggested Topics for Reading-Group Discussion
Sample Chapter
About the Publisher
‘Is he staying with you now?’ she bellowed. ‘He better be! I ain’t ‘aving ‘im moved again. It’s a bleeding disgrace. Them wankers!’
‘No, he won’t be moved again,’ I reassured Tracey.
Reece was pulling on my arm and making a loud hissing noise. ‘Stand still, good boy,’ I said.
‘Do as you’re bleeding told!’ Tracey yelled, giving him another cuff over the head.
And that was my first meeting with Tracey, Reece’s mother.
Certain details, including names, places and dates, have been changed to protect the children in this story
My family and I had said a very emotional farewell to Tayo (the boy whose story I described in my book Hidden), our previous foster child, at the end of October, and because we had grown so close to Tayo it seemed a good idea to do some respite fostering, rather than take on another long-term placement.
‘Respite’ in fostering terms means looking after a foster child (or children) for another carer while that carer takes a much-needed break. Respite fostering doesn’t have the same emotional drain or complications as short or long-term fostering: the child or children arrive clean and well fed, with