Childcare allowance.

I know. It’s not the first thing that springs to mind when you find out that your child is ill. But after a while, when the chock has settled and life starts trodding along, you realise. It’s not for free.

Medicins, special food, travelexpenses and parkingfees for all the trips to hospital and doctors, lost incomes and so on. And what’ll it be like in future? How much special care will he need? Will he be going to an ordinairy school? What’s all that going to cost? Will we be able to work full time?

At hospital they advised us to apply for childcare allowance. I had never heard of it til then. But still. It’s dealt out by the the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and anyone who’s ever tried to fill in one of their forms for parental benefit will understand how ominous this sounds.

After a few hours of thinking, twisting words and turning them, we’ve finally filled in all the pages of the application form, got the doctor’s testimony to go along with it, stamped it and posted it. I’ve been told that they’ll now call us to some sort of an interview, where we’ll have to tell the whole story once more. Effectiveness the Swedish Social Insurance Agency style.