My Husband And I Are Not Criminals
We’re in the midst of our journey to adopt baby number two. When we became parents to our son who we adopted in 2015, our family felt complete. But as our kid grows, so does our hearts, and there’s now room for a new little family member. Yup, while we are currently a family of three, we hope to soon become the AWESOME FOURSOME! I am sure you can imagine that we are super excited, but we are also currently mountaineering through heaps of paperwork, red tape and communicating with the departments of social welfare, who don’t seem to be as eager to participate in our journey.
As frustrating as it is to become a parent through adoption, the process is understandable and every document is essential in ensuring that these little children do in fact get matched with loving families who have their best interests at heart. There’s also the horrible reality of child trafficking, that’s made the adoption process even more complex. So, while the heap of documentation grows, we can appreciate their importance and we are more than happy to oblige.
One of the steps towards being put on the adoption “waiting list” is to apply for a Police Clearance certificate. This is a formal document issued by the Department of Criminal Records and mentions whether we have any criminal records or not. To apply for the certificate, you need to visit your local police station, fill in a form and add all of your finger prints. Then you send it off to the Department of Criminal Records, and then you wait, follow up with a phone call, wait again, follow up with an email, another email, one more call, and then you get the wonderful text message saying the certificates are ready for collection!
I can announce to the world, and you will be happy to know, that my husband and I are NOT CRIMINALS! Phew, I’m glad to have that reassurance! OK, all jokes aside, having these certificates clearing our name is a relief. One, because it’s happened before that criminal records were filed under names of those who were not in fact criminals (causing havoc) and two, because this A4 piece of paper brings us one step closer to meeting our baby, baby number two!
While we are not yet on the waiting list, and even once we are on the list we might have years of patience to practice, every step of the journey is an achievement, a moment to remember, a reminder that you can accomplish whatever you set your mind too (even biology won’t get the best of me)!
Sleep well Steemians, tonight you can go to bed knowing that there two less criminals roaming the world 😉
Much love - @sweetpea
How anyone could ever consider you and your husband criminals is beyond me. It seems as though government agencies are NOT looking out for the best interest of the children.
I think their intentions are good and in essence they are looking out for the kids, they just need to work on their process structure and client service, then all will be well :)
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Like they say in afrikaans.
Hoe eet jy n olifant? Happie vir happie.
Slowly you will get their and I am holding all thumbs and fingers with a lot of hope and prayer that it will happen soon.
He he, I like that, "happie by happie". Thanks @tanyaschutte x
Hahha so glad to hear this and best of luck on this journey.
You and your husband can't be further away from being criminals! Adoption is such a huge thing, because you are giving a new life, a new chance, a new opportunity to someone else. It's the processes and red tapes and procedures that can either take the joy out of the process, or make us appreciate the results even more.
That's so true, you can either embrace the red tape and appreciate it for what it is, or you're going to have quite the morbid journey. I feel euphoric every time I receive a form back, like I won the challenge! It also feels good being proactive :)
God Bless you and your husband in your endeavor to bring another soul into a new, and better life filled with love and hope. :)
Thank you @kryptik.tigrrr3d :)
Do not worry, my friend, have faith in God, and everything will turn out well. God bless your family.
Regards...
Thanks for your encouragement!
Oh, how wonderful! I am sure your #steemitbloggers family will keep our fingers crossed that you have a smooth process from here out! 🙂
We already have so many people here on Steemit enjoying the journey with us, and it really helps writing my thoughts down to ease the anxiety of having to wait. But yes, my @steemitbloggers family has been super supportive so far, loving it!
Woohooo! Great milestone! Here's to the next one. Seriously, though, I hate how bureacracy and compliance have become so necessary because the baddies - and there are less of them than the goodies - because it makes life so difficult. Here's to your new arrival - hope s/he happen soon :)
Yup, the goodies suffer at the hands of the baddies more than we realise! But yuppers, it's a baby making milestone :) and we are very excited!
Yippy one step closer :) Excellent news. I remember when I had to have my criminal record checked for a job, I know I didn't do anything but it was nerve wrecking all the same. In SA you never know and the thought of having to have it cleared was just scary.
I know right! Not to mention the trip to the Police Station! I don't know about you but our local station is quite dingy and oh my gosh, sloths move faster! And you really don't know what the outcome will be, or if you will even get one! Lol, it's a South African adventure for sure!
Haha. Ours isn't too bad, but they are also related to sloths, always reminds me of that scene from Zootopia haha.