Clinicial Interview # 1 of 2

We have completed our first part of a two part clinical interview for our agency. We are scheduled to complete the next interview on Friday. There was a bit of confusion about this because I thought our meeting today would take us straight to the next step of their internal meeting and decide if they would present us to their Board of Directors, who makes the ultimate decision. Apparently not.

Our three hour meeting didn't fill their 4 hour requirement and honestly, I think our social worker wanted to start heading home to her little ones. Can't blame her, it was pretty intense. Three hours of talking about every aspect of your childhood, teen years and young adult times, childhood relationships with parents and other family members as well as current status of relationships with each other and parents, how we met - yada yada yada. I can't believe D and I could squeeze all of our info into that time frame actually. She actually went through infertility herself and somehow that was comforting.

After our Friday meeting then we can go through with their required office meeting and then onto the Board of Directors. After we get approved (thinking optimistically) then we go through the pre-certification steps which include fost/adopt parenting classes that cover the following topics: Fostering abused children, Certification training, attachment training, parenting across cultures, becoming a loss expert and basic adoption. These classes are held on Tues and Thurs at the agency here locally so it won't conflict with school. After completion of these classes we have our final walk through of the house.

She did give us this tiny morsel of hope and said she wouldn't be here if they didn't think we had a chance at getting approved. Trying not to bank on it but holding it close to heart and feeling hopeful.

Icing on the cake of today was when my dad called to see how the meeting went. WOW - I think he gets it, that this will be his next granchild. He was a bit late to the party but I knew he would show up.

I'll end with a quote from a book I recently purchased "How to Say It To Your Kids" written by Richard Heyman, Ed.D. $9.99 at Costco.

Regarding Adoption -

A recent study involved 715 familes with adopted children. The children had been adopted before their first birthday, and information was taken when the children were between twelve and sixteen years of age. Results showed a slight increase among some adoptees to engage in delinquent behavior compared with their non-adoptive siblings. There was also a slight increase among some adoptees to be more socially outgoing and helpful. The final conclusion was that adopted and nonadopted children are much more similiar than they are different.