Rachel and Owen

Rachel and Owen adopted their little boy when he was three and a half years old.

They both wanted to be parents and started to explore their options together. They originally tried IVF, but were also open to other options and soon decided that adoption was the best route for them.

“The process was intense at times, but we had a great bond with our social worker. We had lots of discussions about the ages of children and the needs of the children that we felt we could manage. We were aware that older children can wait longer to find a family and this was something we wanted to explore.”

The couple worked with their social worker and soon found a perfect match. 

“The first time we saw him, he was holding his foster carer’s hand and we knew then he was going to be our son. He was three and a half years old, he was a bit older which meant he came with a little personality. He told us what he liked and what he didn’t like, so we didn’t have to keep guessing like you would with a baby, he was able to explain what he wanted and how he felt.

Another benefit to adopting an older child was that we could sleep throughout the night. We know that if we adopted a baby, it would have been more demanding physically on us and having our son being more independent worked well for our family.”

Rachel and Owen were worried that it would take him longer to bond with them, but this wasn’t the case at all.

“It felt perfect from the start, we didn’t expect him to feel so safe and secure so quickly, but he trusted us because we were patient and caring. We know the transition period between his foster carers and ours was well thought out which allowed him to settle easier.

“Being a family is just perfect – he has grown into a happy, little 6-year-old. He is starting to push boundaries and being a normal child and it’s great that he is doing that because he feels so secure with us. We can’t imagine life before adopting him.”

Rachel and Owen have now completed their family and speak to their son about his adoption journey. The family must be open about his history to help him understand his identity.