I posted this in the main adoption forum too, but that seems to be all about babies.
We have been working towards adopting a 14 y/o from the foster care system. We got to speak with him on the phone tonight, and I was so touched by his courage. We could tell that he was trying to answer our questions correctly and keep us interested. What a neat boy. He has seen so much in his short life and is still living and breathing to be part of a family. There is literally no permanent person in his life at this time, besides his dfs worker.
ANYWAY, I have read all posts ever written about teen adoptions and fosters. I know there are more out there that have adopted older children. I haven't seen any red flags... and I know that this will be a life changing experience for dh and I. But I still want all of the knowledge I can possibly get from the experts out there who have done this before.
We wanted to do visits at our home, but he is 150 miles away. So we will start meeting him and his dfsworker in a halfway city. I don't know how to make these akward visits "normal." We will be meeting him next week, and I am so nervous. I was nervous about speaking with him on the phone, but everything went so smooth. (I am so proud of him already. This is hard on me...but I can't even imagine how he is feeling.)
Ugh. Please help. Please advise. I'll take anything that can help us to make a smooth transition and do what is best for M. Every kid deserves that.
Thanks for listening.
Jill