Homestudy
Today we had the first part of our home study. Our social worker is a really open person who we enjoyed getting to know. She seems like she would be someone's beloved grandmother.
Showing up twenty minutes early, I was very happy she found my dear husband in a nice button down shirt and shaven. He was waiting until the last minute to put on his "good clothes" so they would not get ruined. Being a little stressed by his love of the unshaven, escaped from the institution during fingerpainting look, I threw down the rare "request". We have a non-negotiable tool that we can use when we feel particularly strongly about something. It is called "the request". Cheesey? Maybe, but it works. I do not like to use "the request" too frequently but am relieved it was leveraged this morning.
Twenty minutes before she was scheduled to arrive, our doorbell chimes. Our two year old loves people coming to the door. She runs down the foyer, hollering "someone at da door!!". We all three greet the social worker. I am sure she was thinking to herself "how many people does it take to open the door?".
So we do the obligatory offer of a drink and sit down on the sofa. We were a little taken aback when she took us up on an offer for a gin and tonic....Not really, but that would make the narrative far more entertaining. So, we chat about our marriage, our family dynamics, our philosophies on parenting and discipline, etc.
She interacted with Charlie quite extensively. They played together, she asked her about the cats, her toys, etc. Charlie fell in love with this woman. She kept crawling in to her lap, petting her hair, talking to her non-stop. It was our lucky day.
After over 3.5 hours, a house and a yard tour and what amounted to two individual and one couple's interview/ therapy session, we were finished with the first part of our home study. The next visit will be scheduled in a couple of weeks.
It was a really worthwhile use of time. I enjoyed getting to know her, learning about her opinions on the various resources out there and asking her for direction on some topics. She has been an adoption social worker for over thirty five years. Her common sense perspective was a much needed one and it was an enjoyable experience, toilet bleaching and all. :)
Showing up twenty minutes early, I was very happy she found my dear husband in a nice button down shirt and shaven. He was waiting until the last minute to put on his "good clothes" so they would not get ruined. Being a little stressed by his love of the unshaven, escaped from the institution during fingerpainting look, I threw down the rare "request". We have a non-negotiable tool that we can use when we feel particularly strongly about something. It is called "the request". Cheesey? Maybe, but it works. I do not like to use "the request" too frequently but am relieved it was leveraged this morning.
Twenty minutes before she was scheduled to arrive, our doorbell chimes. Our two year old loves people coming to the door. She runs down the foyer, hollering "someone at da door!!". We all three greet the social worker. I am sure she was thinking to herself "how many people does it take to open the door?".
So we do the obligatory offer of a drink and sit down on the sofa. We were a little taken aback when she took us up on an offer for a gin and tonic....Not really, but that would make the narrative far more entertaining. So, we chat about our marriage, our family dynamics, our philosophies on parenting and discipline, etc.
She interacted with Charlie quite extensively. They played together, she asked her about the cats, her toys, etc. Charlie fell in love with this woman. She kept crawling in to her lap, petting her hair, talking to her non-stop. It was our lucky day.
After over 3.5 hours, a house and a yard tour and what amounted to two individual and one couple's interview/ therapy session, we were finished with the first part of our home study. The next visit will be scheduled in a couple of weeks.
It was a really worthwhile use of time. I enjoyed getting to know her, learning about her opinions on the various resources out there and asking her for direction on some topics. She has been an adoption social worker for over thirty five years. Her common sense perspective was a much needed one and it was an enjoyable experience, toilet bleaching and all. :)
posted by Mom to brown eyed kids | 1:19 PM
1 Comments:
Sounds like it went great! Yeah! A little bit closer to Nikki. So glad you were ready twenty minutes early. Yikes! Our house would be in the last minute chaos!
Post a Comment
<< Home