I've had contact from several agencies this last week all asking for adopters to be more involved in what they are doing and how they are operating. It is great that so many agencies care about what adopters think and it is lovely to have that call to be asked too! 

I had a listener get in touch (after I sent out a message) and ask e to speak about setting boundaries for our children, particularly in the early days, so I have given some details for those early days for us. 

Hoping that it will help others in their transitions and early days. 

There have been a few moments over the past few days that have reminded me that we need to be an advocate for our children and for adoption in general. We need to put on our best cheerleader voice and cheer for the wins that our children have and even cheer when they fall down. 

As a side note here, I mention a difficult situation that we went through and that it was bothering me, we are all ok and I am fine, it was nothing too horrendous, just enough to wind me up! :-) 

This episode didn't upload for some reason, so here you have last weeks episode:

As Little Dude gets closer to his exams we are finding ourselves in the same old argument, wanting him to revise and him thinking that he is revising enough, We have however, put a system in place that seems to help a little. 

I have been around a number of conversations lately surrounding transracial adoption. It is a topic that brings all kinds of questions to the table. I wanted to start the conversation and start my musing on the subject. I appreciate that I am coming from a very naïve perspective, so I am always open to learning and hearing what you think. 

I have been working with a new prep group and have asked Little Dude to speak from an Adoptees perspective, I asked him a variety of questions and we cover a range of topics. As you will hear, he only knew the topics just before we spoke, so these are all his genuine responses to the questions and feelings about each subject. We cover: 

Contact 

Life with two dads 

Moving in 

Belonging 

Difficulties 

I hope you enjoy listening as much as I do! 

I have just joined a group called the Adopter Reference Group, our meeting was at the DfE and we got to start the discussion on what needs to happen to improve things for adopters/adoptees. We talked about contact, trauma-informed schools, support and many other things. Very exciting! 

I shall keep you posted on all the updates, but make sure you follow our accounts for all the updates. 

We held an evening with adopters in our Regional Adoption Agency last night discussing all the things that have happened over 2022. We looked at the recommendations adopters have made and the changes that our agencies have been looking to introduce to make an impact in line with the needs of the adopters. 

It was wonderful to see how much the adopter voice is valued in our agencies and the work that is going in to help so many families. 

Have a listen and let me know if your agency are doing more, or less or different. 

Little Dude is causing us all new headaches, granted, it isn't a new problem, it is just a new cycle of it being a problem. It then leads to us asking questions as parents like - Do you still punish teenagers? 

Am I being too harsh? 

Have I gotten too old to understand? 

Have a listen and let me know your thoughts. 

I have had an email come through from a listener who is going through some difficult times at work, they wanted to share their experiences in the hope of spreading the word and getting some advice. 

Whilst I am not an employment lawyer, I do have some experience that I have advised on here, I am hoping that it helps. But perhaps this is an area that you know more about. 

So, get in touch and let me know if this has happened to you or if you have a way to manage this situation: 

[email protected] 

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