Debunking the myths: Change someone's life by adopting - The Solihull Observer

Debunking the myths: Change someone's life by adopting

Solihull Editorial 14th Oct, 2020 Updated: 14th Oct, 2020   0

SOLIHULL is throwing its weight behind National Adoption Week and the #YouCanAdopt campaign which sets out to debunk myths around adoption.

The national campaign reinforces the key attribute for adopting a child is providing a loving, safe and stable home and that factors such as occupation, salary, the size of someone’s home, home ownership or age are not important.

Sarah (not her real name), a single adopter, talks about adopting ‘Theo’, a dual heritage eight-year-old with autism.

Theo had four ‘chaotic’ years with his birth family followed by four years in foster care before being adopted by Sarah.




“Theo lives in the moment and is a very glass half full person, despite his autism he grabs every opportunity and lives life to the full,” she said.

“In the early days we bonded over a mutual love of theatre, music and cinema and we had our first holiday.


“He ran away from me on many occasions, he would sit down in the street and refuse to move.

“He learnt a few choice swear words at school and used them to great effect.

“All of these incidents ended with him sobbing in my arms.

“One day when we were swimming, he came up to me in the pool and whispered very quietly in my ear, “Mummy I don’t want to move house anymore, you won’t send me away will you?”

“He broke my heart, and I made a promise to him that I would never, ever send him away.

“And things slowly got better. He learnt to trust me, to believe that it wasn’t an empty promise.

“He settled in school, made friends, and we enjoyed celebrating his birthday and Christmas together. He learnt to swim and ride a bike.

“We found our new normal.”

She added: “Adoption is a hard road to walk. It will take everything you have to give. For me there are no regrets. I have an amazing son who inspires me every day. I love him, he loves me – we are a family and that’s all that matters.”

“Councillor Ken Meeson, Solihull’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Skills added: “National Adoption Week is a great way of highlighting the need for families who are able to provide a supportive and loving home to children who need it most.

“I know from experience that adoption makes a world of difference to the life chances of a child, who can be a delight, a challenge and sometimes surprises with hidden talents that enrich family life. If you can offer love, patience, understanding and a sense of belonging to a child who needs a supportive family then please take that next step to find out more about adoption.”

If you want to find out more about adoption, visit www.aceadoption.com or call 0300 369 0556

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