How and when does your child/children wake you in the morning?
Our oldest has always been an early riser so averages 5.30, thankfully the baby sleeps in a bit and this morning he had a lie in until 7.30 am !!
Why adoption?
I always knew I wanted to adopt after many years working in the voluntary sector with vulnerable children and I just knew it was something I wanted to do. When I met Hubbie we talked about it and he agreed that our family would include adopted children. We now have a birth child and an adopted child, both are much loved and very much our children.
From start of assessment to bringing your child home how long did the process take?
The long answer is it started some years ago, but was interrupted by the birth of our son. The short answer is it took 2 years from when we approached our local authority to when we were matched.
How could it be improved?
The process has been made quicker, but it does appear that it’s missing some scrutiny and consistency. We have had a number of social workers and they’ve given us conflicting information. We also had to keep asking for additional support post match which we had expected would be available to us anyway.
What has been the biggest surprise?
How well our son has adapted to our family and how we feel he is one of us.
How was the assessment process?
It was ok, but did cause some consternation when we were made to repeat ourselves and the process how involves a lot more input from prospective adopters which means the social workers are not overseeing the content as much. Overall as we had been through the process before we were familiar with it, but if we were new to it I think we’d have felt quite alone in the process.
What’s your favourite thing to do together?
We love to play outside in the garden and eat together and we have just started to take him swimming as he loves his baths so much.
What makes you and your family laugh?
We love to sing and dance together and we joke and laugh all the time – mostly at each other.
The best thing about being a parent?
I love seeing my children laughing, playing and hearing their funny comments on life. It’s wonderful seeing the joy on one of my son’s faces when they do something for the first time.
The hardest thing about being a parent?
Letting them do things that might hurt or upset them. I want to protect my children from anything that might harm them, but I know I can’t always do that.
The piece of wisdom you would pass on to a child?
Kindness is a very important quality to have – one that will do well for you in life.
What time do you go to bed?
I try to go to bed around 10pm, but often it runs later than that and I always regret it when my sons wake up at an unearthly hour.
