I am really hoping someone can help me as I dont know who else to ask.
I have no children of my own but have been wanting / trying for a child for nearly 4 years now. I have been told pretty much that I wont be able to conceive due to having PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) which I contracted via infection after having a colposcopy operation to remove pre cancerous cells from my cervix nearly 10 years ago!
DH has three children (21, 12 and 10). They live nearly 200 miles away from us and so because of this and DH's job (he is a police officer) we unfortunately only see them one weekend a month, plus a week in the Summer, a week at Easter and a week at Christmas. DH doesn't have an amicable relationship with his ex despite the fact that they split up nearly 10 years ago (her choice not his, no-one else involved). She never meant for them to "finish for good" and didn't expect DH to move on with his life (she's never moved on).
Anyway I digress, basically the reason I am posting her is because we dearly want to adopt and have looked into this for nearly a year now. We have had two meetings with social workers who have said that we are "ideal candidates" for adoption. The problem is, DH's ex will have to be informed if we proceed with adoption and DH is worried that she will say / do anything in her power to make it difficult for us. She already alienates the two youngest children against him and has used lines like (when we got married last year) "Daddy doesn't want you anymore now he is married" "Daddy loves his wife more than you" etc. etc. etc. There is no reason at all for her to say those things except to ensure that the children love her more than him (she has said as much)! I can hear her now if we adopt "Daddy has a new child now, he doesn't love you anymore etc. etc."
I understand and appreciate that social services have to check with ex partners when children are involved and the social workers have told us that they do "take into account" disgruntled and vindictive ex partners, but how much of an impact can one person actually have on our chances if she goes all guns blazing with her lies and venom? This has turned us off the idea a little bit, especialy as we have only just sorted out the harrassment and visitations of DHs children (through solicitors as she wouldn't be civil enough to sort it themselves, although even her solicitor gave up on her in the end!)
I am really struggling to accept that someone (who technically, is nothing to do with me) can have a major impact on whether I get my dream of adopting a child. Has anyone had any experiences like this or complications from someone else making the chances of adoption difficult for them? Any advice or help that you can offer would be greatly appreciated it as I really dont want us to build our hopes up too much if she is going to be able to scupper our plans!
Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on adoption.
Adoption
Adopting - Ex Partner's Involvement - Advice Please!
SussexGirl8 · 29/05/2009 13:04
SussexGirl8 · 02/06/2009 07:40
Thank you all for your comments, greatly appreciated and I will take it all on board. I perhaps didn't clarify a few points as well as I could.
Firstly, when I said "DHs ex is nothing to do with me". I did actually say "technically nothing to do with me". Perhaps I didn't explain it properly, but I am fully aware that when I got with my DH, his ex and the children would become a huge part of my life and I accept that, always have. By my comment, I meant that I just find it hard to accept that someone could try and ruin my chances of adopting too just because she wants to hurt DH when she actually has no axe to grind with me (DH and I got together three years after they seperated).
DH and his ex were never married and I feel that she has got worse since we got married last year. She has never managed to "move on" and I think struggles with the fact that DH has, hence why she is so vindictive.
Secondly, I do know that SS have to do these checks and I did say that I understand why and appreciate why (my husband is a police officer and deals SS and cases of child abuse all the time). Im not trying to "get out" of these checks, I just dont want to build my hopes up to only have them dashed because she decides that she will try and do anything in her power to stop DH having another child. I also dont want to risk her turning the children against DH anymore than she already does. I know DD (10) would love another child in the family to play with as she loves other (especially younger) children. We think DS will also be fine about it, he is very sociable, although we are not sure if he would be a bit jelouse to start with, as he is a real daddys boy, although lately (hes 12) he is starting to favour his friends more as they do at that age.
The second time we saw the SS he said to us "you seem ideal candidates for adoption". That was his exact words and although I know there would still be a very long way to go, I feel that we have so much to offer a child.
DH is a wonderful father, he has never so much as told his kids off verbally let alone smacked them (their mum is the discipliner) and they know they can wrap him round their little fingers. Personally I dont always think that is a good thing as they get away with things with us that they wouldn't get away with at home.
Incidentally, does anyone know if when interviewing their mother, they would look at her history? She has been done for benefit fraud three times (she hasn't worked legally for 21 years), banned from driving for three years for drink driving (with the children in the car), got with a guy who brought drugs into the house then ended up in hospital when he beat her up and he also attacked the children. She also leaves the children on their own quite a lot (normally whilst she is "working"). She is certainly not a perfect mother, but all that a side, I wouldn't want them to look at her history and start investigating her. I dont condone what she does, in fact I hate what she does, but she is their mother and they love her and need her and all in all she isn't a bad parent. I wouldn't want her to get into trouble or be investigated as it wouldn't be fair on the children to lose her.
Thanks again for all your help.
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