It's about more than just blood

Last night I was really affected by a tv program. It's not very often that I get upset watching tv but last night I was incredibly tearful watching a documentary.

The topic on this documentary?

Adoption.

The kids in care that they featured seemed so happy and so good that my heart broke for them that they didn't have the normal family life that many of us take for granted. Three sets of foster parents were featured in which there were two sisters. A brother and two sisters and a four year old boy and this program really broke my heart.

If I can do anything worthwhile in my life, I want to help kids like these.

I don't know if I would be strong enough to be a foster parent and actively help in finding such kids a new family. I really wish I could be that good a person to help make a difference and be the stop gap to a better life for them.

Just seeing these 6 kids on tv for an hour has really got me feeling for kids alot less fortunate than my own.

I've always dreamt of having a big family. I'd love more children and I would love to help kids like this along the way. I love the idea of adopting, I love the idea of fostering, I just don't know if I can be tough enough to give kids the love and support they need then let them move on to elsewhere. It must be so rewarding to bring a little stability into some kids lives whether it be short or long term.

My aunt and uncle have been fostering for years. One child they had from a few weeks old and had to give him back to his birth mother last Christmas, just before he turned 4. His mum was a recovering drug addict. The dad was not around. I don't know if I could do that. My personal feelings shouldn't matter if the childs interests are at heart but there will always be a part of me that felt resentful to the parent for letting that child be in the childcare system in the first place.

The 4 year old boy on the tv had been in care since he was a baby and his mum gave him up for adoption. He was in care for 3 years before being adopted. After a few months, his adoptive parents changed their mind and he went back to his foster parents. They then started the process of adopting him themselves along with the two teenage girls they had already adopted.The family were given the go ahead and his "sisters" cried with joy. Midway through the process, his mu who he hadn't met contested it and wants him back. She is now in a new relationship with another child and is on the Social Services Child Protection Register but because she is his mother she has certain rights!

This is where I am disgusted with the system! That poor little boy has a loving family who want to make it official but the mother can try to stop it. This boy has a family, he has a good home, he has a school, he has friends and he could lose it all.

The program ended with the two sisters being adopted to a childless couple. The brother with 2 sisters will find out what their future holds after christmas - with the possibility of them being separated. And the four year old will find out in March if he gets to keep his family or if he will be forced back into the care of his mother.

The whole thing really made me want to do more in the coming years. I've said about it before and I continue to think that this is where I see my life going in future years. I love kids, I love helping others and if I can make a difference to the lives of others when they most need it then that must be SO rewarding as a human.

So the plan remains the same, buy the house, build an extension and apply to do something to help others. Whether it be adopting and giving a child a home for life or fostering and being the step between where they need the most love and affection then I'm in it.

I've never had aspirations for a career. I've only ever wanted a good sized family and to help people. I think I have found my calling and I will be making proper applications when I can.