About fifteen years ago Andrea Moore and her husband Frank applied to adopt. They already had two boys of their own: Jim aged 10 and Michael 7. But the Moores could feel there was room for another child in their house. "We ticked the 'special needs' box." Explains Andrea. "We knew what it meant and weren't afraid of it. All children have special needs and they all have a place."
The Moores were a military family. They had moved around a lot, had few friends and little connection to their community. Two years later they had adopted nine-month-old Betsy and soon "fell madly in love."
The Moores went to Europe shortly after this. At the time Andrea thought, "Our little girl needs someone to play with." They considered adopting a Romanian child but didn't feel they could afford it. Andrea believes this was a blessing in disguise because when the family got back to Canada, the Ministry called to say that Betsy had a sister who was now available for adoption.
By now the Moores were living in New Brunswick and more than ready for a second adopted child. With the help of the Ministry, Andrea and Frank succeeded in completing an inter-provincial adoption. There was lots of paperwork and a lawyer involved. Says Andrea, "Betsy's sister Carol, age two, was the icing on the cake. The Ministry kept those girls together through thick and thin. Those girls woke up our house."
Now Frank is retired and the family lives in the Victoria area. Jim and Michael are in their 20s and the girls age 10 and 13. The older ones help a lot with the younger ones' homework. Jim and Michael are almost like another set of parents.
Adoption has been 100% rewarding say Frank and Andrea. "Ask yourself" says Andrea, "Am I ready to roll up my sleeves and become a parent or not? Search your heart and know for sure it's for you." Andrea sees no real difference between being an adoptive parent and being a birth parent. "If you really want to raise a child, go for it.
*For privacy reasons, names are fictitious.
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