The Little Boy Sitting Alone Colouring
For siblings, being together is where they truly belong. In this blog series, James and Mark share their adoption journey and how it inspired them to open their hearts and home to two brothers, giving them the chance to grow-up, side by side as a family.
Names have been changed to protect the identities of the children and family. The family’s story has been shared with permission.
By the time James and Mark reached the matching stage of the adoption process, they had spent months preparing to become parents.
They had completed training, attended meetings and thought carefully about the type of family they hoped to become.
What they hadn’t prepared for was activity day.
A Different Way of Meeting Children
Unlike looking through profiles online, activity day gave prospective adopters the chance to meet children in person. For James and Mark, this felt much more natural. Looking through profiles had never sat comfortably with them.
“It felt a bit like shopping,” James admits.
Instead, they wanted to meet children face to face and get a sense of who they were as people.
When the doors opened, however, neither of them knew what to expect. Mark, who would normally chat to anyone, suddenly found himself completely overwhelmed.
“I just stood there and thought, I don’t even know what to do.”
The Boy Sitting Alone
As they moved around the room meeting different children, James found himself drawn to one little boy sitting quietly on his own.
While the room buzzed with noise and activity, the child was happily colouring. There was something about him that immediately stood out.
“I remember looking at him and thinking he reminded me of myself when I was younger.”
James sat down beside him, coloured with him and tried to make conversation.
The boy smiled politely before returning his attention to his colouring. It was a small interaction, but it stayed with him
One of Two
At that point, James and Mark were still thinking about adopting one child.
Then Mark noticed something written on the child’s name badge. He wasn’t alone.
He was one of two brothers.
Looking around the room, Mark noticed James speaking to another toddler and just by coincidence he happened to be the younger brother.
The contrast between then was immediate. Where one brother was calm and reserved, the other was energetic, confident and constantly on the move.
“They were chalk and cheese,” they laugh. Yet despite their differences, it was obvious they shared a strong bond.
A Lunch They Didn’t Expect
Before long, James and Mark found themselves spending more time with the brothers. They shared lunch together, decorated biscuits and spoke with the boys’ foster carer.
What began as a chance meeting was becoming something much bigger. They asked questions, listened carefully and found themselves wanting to know more. By the end of the day, neither could stop thinking about the brothers.
The Journey Home
The drive home was filled with conversation as the brothers had made an impression neither of them could ignore.
But James and Mark weren’t prepared to let excitement take over.
They knew there was still a lot to think about. Questions arose if they could meet the boys’ needs? Could they parent two children? Or even really see themselves becoming a family?
As always, they agreed to sleep on it.
But one thing was already becoming clear, Oliver and Harry were occupying a lot of space in their thoughts.
Look out for Blog 5 in the series:
Choosing Oliver and Harry
How do you know when you’ve found the children who are meant to become your family?
