Alice Boston's maternal sixth sense tells her that 4-year-old Tony has gotten into something, and sure enough, he's in the dining room playing with her treasured salt-and-pepper shaker collection.
Keeping up with an active pre-schooler and an 11-year-old would be taxing for anyone, but Mrs. Boston is 80 years old.
But she's had a lot of practice. Mrs. Boston, who has two daughters, has been a foster mother for 45 years. She says Tony and James are her 24th and 25th foster children -- at least. She hasn't counted.
Tomorrow, Gov. William Donald Schaefer will present the Crofton grandmother with a citation "In honor of the love, guidance and security you have provided for countless young people throughout the years; and as an expression of our admiration, gratitude and great respect for your dedicated efforts on behalf of the children of Maryland."
Framed photos cover a wall, line her shelves and tables. There are baby pictures, school pictures, graduation pictures, wedding pictures, photos of handsome men and women who have gone into the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the ministry.
"It gives me great joy," Mrs. Boston says of her work, "because I get to see them grow up and be something."
The family problems children face have changed since the 1940s, when Mrs. Boston's aunt first suggested she try being a foster parent.
Foster children, in particular, must still deal with shattered families, and often with parents who visit occasionally, promising to come soon and take them home to a new house.
But now, the children also come to Mrs. Boston scarred by sexual abuse, afraid to be touched even by their pediatrician. These days, Mrs. Boston says, even the youngest children are more likely to challenge authority. Many come from families that have been ravaged by drug abuse.
"Children of today are so different . . . very hard to manage," she said.
Mrs. Boston's strategy includes keeping the children busy with activities such as drawing. She does not leave them unsupervised, ever.
She also involves them in activities at Wilson Memorial Methodist Church in Crofton. Once, four of her foster sons, along with her grandchild and some neighbors, formed a gospel group called The Golden Gospel Singers. They practiced in her kitchen.
Mrs. Boston says most of her foster children arrived when they were 2 or 3 years old and stay through the end of high school.
This is unusual among foster parents today, says Helen Szablya, director of public information for the state Department of Human Resources. Nowadays social service agencies emphasize reuniting families as quickly as possible.
Foster parents need not be young, or married. They also don't have to own their own homes. The program is flexible, says Ms. Szablya.
"You really look at the people, how they're doing, what their capacity is," says Ms. Szablya.
"It is very unusual for an 80-year-old to be super-active to the level that [Mrs. Boston] is," she says, adding, "She's not the usual everyday person."
Mrs. Boston says only her faith in God saw her through the death of two husbands and the trials of parenthood.
"I held onto God's unchanging hand," she says. "I've got my Bibles open all over the house, and I don't just have them -- I read them."
In addition to being a foster parent, Mrs. Boston works Mondays at her church, distributing food and clothing to the needy. She also nurses her sister, who has suffered strokes, and cares for another elderly woman.
"I don't even have time to think about how old I am," she says. "I don't have time to think about myself, because other people need me."
For information about being a foster parent, call your local Department of Social Services or 767-7000.