Dear readers
My name is Jack and I am 13 years old. I am really pleased to be able to write about me and my adoption for National Adoption Week, as I really hope that more people come forward to adopt, especially for all the older children waiting. If it wasn’t for the Be My Parent paper, I might not have been adopted, and my life would be so different to what it is now – HAPPY!
I was featured in Be My Parent when I was 10-and-a-half years old. My social worker was trying to find me an adoptive family as I didn’t want to stay in foster care. Trish and Bob saw me and decided to ring up about me…
Before I met Trish and Bob, they sent me a DVD and book about themselves. I liked them and thought they seemed funny and kind! It was scary thinking about adoption but I was really helped by my social workers and teacher at school. They helped me understand that adoption is for life and totally different to foster care. After a few months we all met up and I came to live with Trish and Bob, and was adopted at the court shortly after.
I now call Trish and Bob my mum and dad, as that’s what they are. But I haven’t forgotten about my birth family: I write to my birth mum and I see my brothers, aunties, uncles and cousins. I used to see my nana in all the school holidays and we even took her on holiday. Unfortunately, she died, but she will always be in my heart, and I know she is looking down on me. My (adoptive) nan met my nana and they really got on well. We are one big family now! My mum and dad really love and care for me and always say they will always do their best for me, even if they are telling me off!
Adoption has changed my life. I now have a future and can think about all the things I’d like to do. When I was in short-term foster care, I couldn’t really do that, as I didn’t know where I would be in months or years to come. I now have a permanent school, good friends and a girlfriend! I do lots of activities, but my passion is Motocross (MX). I have my own MX motorbike and go to the MX tracks every week – you can see me in action in the photograph on the left!
Adoption is a good thing for children in foster care, but it is a shame that more people don’t adopt older children. Older children deserve a chance of a loving family just the same as toddlers and babies. Older children understand what adoption means.
People thinking of adopting a child must understand that it is a very scary thing for a child to move away from everything they know, and they must be very patient and understanding with the child.
When my mum and dad told me that they’d first seen me in a magazine, I was really excited, as I thought I’d been in a magazine with famous people, like Hello or OK! But the Be My Parent magazine is probably one of the most important magazines in all the world, as it can change lives. I know it changed mine.
All the best, Jack
National Adoption Week 2009 runs from 9-15 November.
Originally published in the Be My Parent newspaper in November 2009.
This article is published with the kind permission of the people involved. You may download it for your own reference but if you wish to use it for any other purpose, please contact Be My Parent for authorisation: Be My Parent, BAAF, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Telephone: 020 7421 2666.
Last updated: 02 November 09
