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Adoption

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adopting my DSs new sibling

15 replies

helpmethinkitthrough · 13/09/2013 18:35

I could use some advice or stories from other people who have been through this.
We adopted my DS when he was a toddler. His mum was a friend of mine but she was living rough and drugs etc where involved. She and his father want nothing to do with him and I haven't spoken to her since.

Yesterday her SW got in touch and said that friend is pregnant again she still lives with DSs father and she claims they have the same father. She doesn't want the baby and probably wouldn't have been allowed to keep the baby anyway. We have been asked to consider adopting the baby.

However I already have 3 other DCs including a 1 month old baby. It would be hard work to take care of all of them the baby would be born around Christmas so their wouldn't be a big age gap between my youngest and the baby.
But at the same time this is DSs sibling. What if he is upset because we don't take his sibling in. What if my friend has more children.

I have know idea what we will do. DH and I were up all night talk about it and weighing up the pros and cons. Our DS is so lovely and when he calls me mummy and cuddles me it is worth the world but their is no guarantee that this baby won't have major issues or that the baby will fit into our family so well.

I am hoping that some of you lovely people will come and help us talk it through and remind us of the things we have forgotten to think about.

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ArgyMargy · 13/09/2013 18:42

I have no experience and no real advice, just want to reach out and say what a wonderful thing you have done already, no matter what you decide. I suppose there is a risk it might happen a third time? Instinct might be driving you to want the siblings to be together - I would agree but perhaps not at the cost of your own family and sanity. Best of luck.

BrianTheMole · 13/09/2013 18:50

Crikey, thats a hard one. Would ssd offer you any support for the next year or so? If they really want it to be you then i'm sure they could find the funds from somewhere.

helpmethinkitthrough · 13/09/2013 18:52

ArgyMargy thank you those are the sort of things we have been struggling with.

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MacNCheese · 13/09/2013 18:53

Would your ds be able to have contact with the sibling if you don't adopt him/her?

helpmethinkitthrough · 13/09/2013 18:58

I have no idea if DS would have contact if we didn't adopt the baby. I guess it would depend if the baby was adopted and what his/her family would want.

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Saralyn · 13/09/2013 19:01

There's another recent thread from someone in a very similar situation, if you want to have a read

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/adoptions/1835912-So-I-saw-dds-birth-mum-yesterday

helpmethinkitthrough · 13/09/2013 19:03

The money is another issue and we haven't really asked about funding. We are going to arrange a meeting to talk about it next week but we do need to have some idea of what we want to do before then.

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helpmethinkitthrough · 13/09/2013 19:04

saralyn thank you I shall read it now.

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BonaDea · 13/09/2013 19:15

Having two babies with only, what, 5 months age difference sounds incredibly difficult for you and your whole family.

helpmethinkitthrough · 13/09/2013 19:26

Yes having two babies that close in age would be difficult and it will really effect my family. It would also mean that I will have an extra year away from work because the baby wouldn't go to school for a year. And my job doesn't really cover childcare.

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Lilka · 13/09/2013 21:33

I adopted my DD2's little brother.

Originally I was asked in 2005 whether I would consider adopting him and said no, and then after 13 months of delay I was asked again 'just to make sure, since your circumstances have changed' in 2006, and after a good month of soul searching and agonising and every emotion under the sun, I said yes. and brought my DS home in early 2007

You have all my sympathies and support, it's a very hard thing to be asked. Lovely for those people who don't have to think before saying 'yes' but it doesn't work that way for most of us IME

I would say that first and foremost you have to think about the family you have now, and seriously consider whether you could cope with it. 5 months is a very small age gap indeed, and you need to think about your own desires and capabilties.

How hard are you finding it at the moment with a new baby and your other children? Remember back to when you brought your DS home, and what that was like, and you would be repeating that but this time with a tiny age gap between new DC and second youngest DC.

How do the rest of the family feel about a new child? I wouldn't have adopted DS if my DD2 was not completely on board, and DD1 felt very positive about it as well. Also how are your kids coping with the new baby so far?

Ultimately any new child changes the dynamic in the family. Do you like how it is now? Were you planning any more birth DC's? If you weren't and you and DH intended your baby BC to be your last child, then you need to think very carefully, because surely you had very good reasons for deciding that

If you do have to say no, then don't feel guilty. You know, I really doubt your DS would be upset with you in later years if you had to say no now. He might feel upset about not being raised with birth siblings (although he might not) but I think it pretty unlikely he would direct that upset at you. Any reasonable person would understand if you said no, given your circumstances.

And yes, as you said, it's possible his birth mother will have another baby. You can't take this baby, and the next and the next. Mind you, my DS was the last child.

For me, I don't regret adopting my son, not at all, he's an utter joy and i love him with all of my heart. BUT, it was really really really hard at first. He was grieving and struggling, DD2 was struggling and showing it with pretty challenging behaviour. I had moments when I thought 'I'm not sure I made the right decision' and then shouldered on. Nowadays it's so much easier and they love each other so much

but - being raised with DD2 has made some parts of DS's life hard. She is not easy to live with. So if any of your children have special needs or challenging behaviour, it's worth thinking about the impact that would have on a new child.

And also, DS says clearly that he does not love DD2 any more than DD1. It doesn't matter to him that DD2 is his birth sister and DD1 isn't. He thinks about them in the same way, he loves them the same. He actually said he doesn't care that DD2 is his birth sister (he's just not interested in birth family full stop)

DD2 says she thinks it's great that she has been able to grow up with her little brother and they weren't seperated, BUT she doesn't love him any more than she loves her sister

Devora · 13/09/2013 23:46

Hi, I was in your situation a few weeks back, when SS asked me to adopt my dd2's new birth sibling. I said no. That felt very tough, but these are some of the things that were important factors in that decision:

  • Your first duty is to the children already in your family, because they rely on you to take care of them. If another baby is headed for adoption, odds are at that age there will be a queue of potential adopters with the time and other resources to lavish on this new child.
  • SS are unlikely to offer you significant or sustained support.
  • You can ask for regular direct contact between the siblings - I have - and hope that the social workers keep that at the front of their minds when finding new adoptive parents.
  • There may well be other children born.

Having said all that, I felt dreadfully guilty when I said no. I still do. But I don't feel ambivalent, in that I am fairly certain that my adopted daughter needs as much of my undivided attention as she can get more than she needs to have a birth sibling living in the family. I may turn out to be wrong about that,

Good luck with your decision.

helpmethinkitthrough · 14/09/2013 20:09

Hi thank you
Can I ask those of you with experience HOW did you explain this to your adopted DC?
DS is 7 and it is going to be hard to explain to him and to my other DCs.

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Mama1980 · 14/09/2013 20:15

Hi I'm the op from the thread linked. I found myself in pretty much the exact same situation my birth ds2 is only 9 months old. (I won't repeat all the other info on the other thread Smile) I ultimately have agreed to take the baby due December but it was a very tough decision and I swung both ways. There is no way to know what issues if any this baby will have (its likely bm has been using) I've just been seeing a solicitor this week.
My advice fwiw would be to take time as much as you can, and ignore ss's prodding they like tidy solutions and its easier for them. (I don't mean to sound cynical I actually have a lovely social worker but I've also had some shocking experiences in dealing with them)
Have you broached this with your other children at all? Please feel free to pm me if you'd like to chat off board.

helpmethinkitthrough · 14/09/2013 20:35

Thank you mama1980 I have read your thread and we seem to be in similar positions.
I have not talked about it with the DCs yet but we only found out a few days ago ourselves.

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