35 Things I’ve Done Because of Adopting

As an adopter of two ‘harder to place’ children I would love to write, during National Adoption Week, about love hearts and happy endings but the truth is less marketable than that.  Parenting our children, loving them, has been the hardest, most brilliant, scariest, most wonderful thing I have ever done in my life.  If you think you may be up to the challenge of adopting children from local authority care then please make the first step and contact the adoption information gateway First4Adoption, or your local adoption charity or authority for information.

Parenting children who have suffered neglect and abuse is utterly life-changing. Here are 35 things that I’ve done as a result of adopting our brilliant children:

  1. Become a mother
  2. Met lots of very nice social workers
  3. Learnt about brain development
  4. Really understood what empathy is
  5. Loved a cat called Ron
  6. Been a school governor
  7. Lost my temper over a broken biro
  8. Been brave, taken risks
  9. Met some really groovy people
  10. Stumbled upon a writing career
  11. Written a book, ‘No Matter What’
  12. Been shortlisted for an award
  13. Hugged a hoodie
  14. Watched a Barbie film
  15. Got really scared
  16. Got nits
  17. Got things into perspective
  18. Changed my views; on parenting, on education, on lots of things
  19. Made a website
  20. Become a tweeter
  21. Become a campaigner
  22. Got nits
  23. Apologised, a lot
  24. Changed my measures of success
  25. Made a bug hotel (not in my hair)
  26. Made a salt dough tutankhamen
  27. Got to know an awful lot about snails
  28. Experienced anger I didn’t think possible
  29. Experienced love I didn’t think possible
  30. Found fortitude I never knew I had
  31. Got nits
  32. Become self-employed
  33. Experienced the best and worst of myself
  34. Taken some big leaps of faith
  35. Really really got unconditional love.

 

A cat called Ron

A cat called Ron

Actually it is brain science

Actually it is brain science

5 thoughts on “35 Things I’ve Done Because of Adopting

  1. Sarah

    I’m sorry but you can get nits off children that are not adopted too. Great list I could add a couple of my own definitely.

    Thanks for sharing on The Weekly Adoption Shout Out. x

    Reply
  2. Suddenly Mummy

    Yes, definitely identify with some of these! My personal favourite of my own is having to stop wearing nail varnish because of an unpleasant poo under the fingernail incident!

    Reply
  3. Threebecomefour

    Very funny and thoughtful. We’ve escaped nits so far, but I’m not shouting that too loudly. I would agree that adoption and becoming a mother has taken me to the highest highs and the biggest emotions I ever knew possible. I wonder what your next 35 on the list will look like?

    Reply
  4. Rachel

    Spot on Sally, as always. I’m now mentally composing my own list (lost my sense of humour, found a wonderfully new and different one, learned to cook beige versions of my favourite curries & chilli, developed a pathological hatred of Peppa Pig…)

    R x

    Reply
  5. Emma Chatterley

    As an adopted child I can honestly say that it’s great that children get adopted. But as a result I have always had a feeling of not belonging. I’ve always felt different. My parents have been great but I have been asked by lots of prospective adoptive parents for my opinion and I’ve told them just that. If you are adopting then please be aware that it is very likely that your child will have issues. I have lots of adopted friends and have spoke. With them openly about this subject. All of us agree that we find it difficult to form great friendships or relationships, because of the feeling of not belonging. The only people who I have ever felt I really belong with is my own children (not adopted). They are the only 2 people who are part of me.

    Reply



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