A little bit about us, a little bit about this blog...

A journey into adoption - personal musings on our experience of going through the adoption process in the UK

 

Introduction and Summary:


A little bit about us, a little bit about this blog...


So what do we know? Well, nothing more than anyone else who has passed through the labyrinthine process of preparing for adoption – so much like someone blindfolded and feeling their way around some strange terrain. There’s no room for pontificating here (and certainly no claims on authority other than the insight that comes from experiencing something first hand). However, we would hope that this series of semi-random jottings either strikes a chord with those who have similarly navigated the rocks and shallows of adopting or provides some comfort and reassurance for those embarking on it.

Headline – no, it’s not just you. It is just as frustrating and bewildering as it seems to be. Just as contradictory, just as inconsistent, just as confusing, just as emotional but, ultimately, just as rewarding.

I’ve always avoided blogs before. Burned into my memory was an insightful cartoon – two dogs sit chatting next to a computer. One says to the other, “I’ve decided to give up blogging and just start barking aimlessly in the street.”

So who on earth would want to hear our opinion? No one. However, as we embarked on the confusing and bewildering adoption preparation process both my wife and I often felt that we were floundering in the dark, stumbling through a half lit and ever shifting maze. We often thought that it would be so comforting to find a first hand account of the process and the emotions involved as either a guide or a preparation.

So here we are. This is our perspective and that’s as valid as it gets. All we hope is that you will find it, at least engaging. Entertaining or helpful would be a bonus. Well, consider your “emptor” suitably caveated and we ought to tell you a little about who we are, where we are and why we’re here.

Dragnet – only the names have been changed.

We should start with the famous quote from the ‘60s cop show, “Dragnet”. “Everything you see is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.” As you enter the world of adoption you’ll start to see the importance of anonymity, particularly in this age of Facebook, Bebo, MySpace...

Anyway, within those limits just who are we? My wife and I have been a couple for nigh on twenty years and for us kids had always been part of the life plan. That never happened and eventually we decided to enter into the adoption process. At the time of writing we’ve got through the Adoption Panel and been approved. So far we’ve not been successfully matched with any children, which leaves us in that frustrating limbo in which so many approved parents find themselves.